They Listened and Remembered

Every year on Pentecost I go on a rant.  We aren't comfortable with the power of the Holy Spirit.  We don't like it when God comes in and shakes everything up.  I wasn't scheduled to preach on Pentecost, and a couple of weeks ago I preached on a story in Acts where they are struggling with the fact that God would give the Holy Spirit to gentiles.  I talked about how they moved from resistance, to amazement, to acceptance.  I beat the point home, pointing out the pattern in the Bible and in the history of the church.  I told them we want things to be done decently and in order.  I explained that since I wasn't going to be here in Pentecost, and so they were going to get my annual Pentecost rant early.  God doesn't always do things decently and in order, despite what Paul said in Corinthians. 

Today was Pentecost.  I was present in worship this morning.  The guest preacher was a retired professor.  He quoted the passage from Corinthians about things being done decently and in order.  The congregation burst out laughing, and a number of them turned and looked at me.  I'm delighted they remembered.  I explained their reaction to the preacher following worship, he was trying to defend his point.  I told him it was fine-- I just thought it was amusing, and was delighted to discover the congregation heard and remembered what I'd said several weeks ago.