The book of the Acts of the Apostles begins, as we just heard moments ago, with a renewed dedication of its author to his patron – one Theophilus, by name – and a backward glance to the first volume, the Gospel according to Luke. This is a “two-volume set”. Here’s what that means: Christianity is adopting literary forms. This fledging movement is at the point of leaving an oral tradition and is entering the world of literature. Some of the early followers of The Way of Jesus, seem to want to move beyond the small world of ancient Palestine and enter the much more expansive Greco-Roman world. Luke has determined that he will present the entirety of this new Christian tradition – the life of Jesus and the birth of the early community gathering in his name – so that it might begin to become a tradition for an ever-growing community and for all time.

In other words, with the beginning of the Book of Acts, we are moving from the realm of anecdote and oral exchanges, to one of doctrine and systematic theology. And nothing seems to … overwhelm … the charismatic, spontaneous Spirit of Holy Fire quite like doctrine and systematic theology!

So very quickly and very early in his second volume, the unpredictable Spirit of Holiness “rushes in as a violent wind” and “sets tongues of fire” to rest on the first apostles. Read Acts 2:1-4:

¹When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Very quickly and very early, the first followers of Jesus find their “souls on fire”! But … with what? What set their souls on fire? They each were filled with the Spirit of God, but what were they most passionate about? What mattered most to them? What questions and concerns did they have for life and the world as they knew it?

The answer to all those questions is this: The Kingdom, the Kin-dom, of God. That is what set the hearts of the first apostles of Jesus on fire. After Jesus died, he “appeared to them during forty days and spoke … about the Kingdom of God, and that’s what ignited this fire in their own lives, in their own souls. Their experience of that Kingdom when they were with him and their continued experience of it after his death. And where is this Kin-dom? Right here and right now … just not fully, not completely, not wholly … not yet. But the Holy Spirit has arrived … now. Look out!

In first century Jewish thought, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit signaled that the end of the world was near, that the restoration of Israel had come, that all would be restored and completed. But Luke’s Jesus says, “none of that is for us to know.” When the Spirit comes, “all” it will mean is that we – followers of Jesus in every age – will now, must now, be “witnesses” to the Kingdom come, and the Kin-dom that will be complete, as we continue the work he began. The arrival of the Holy Spirit in the life of the early Church does not signal the end of “what was” so much as the mission for what “must be” if this enterprise is to stand a snowball’s chance …

Jesus is telling these very first apostles to stop asking “when will the Kingdom come?” and start asking “what are we called to do ensure that the Kin-dom will come” …fully, on earth as it is in heaven.  And the most immediate answer to that question is to continue to live the Kingdom life that they lived when they walked, ate, slept, rose, learned from, and followed Jesus while he was alive. And to live the Kingdom life that is still here even after his death – here even more powerfully and tangibly after his death, because the fire has finally been ignited in more than one person!

What did they care most about? Love and Justice – not one or the other, but both together.

What mattered most to them? That everyone – everyone be seen as a Child of God and deserving of God’s Love and Justice.

What questions and concerns did they have about life and the world as they knew it? How were they going to take these passions “to the ends of the earth”, and how was this world – with its Pharaohs and Caesars, its powers and principalities – going to try and stand in their way.

What set their souls on fire? The reality that God was with them now in ways that this world could never take away. And therefore, that “nothing will be impossible for God”. ^{Lk 1:37}

So what will they do with this Holy Fire?

Ashia:

With souls ablaze, the apostles will witness to the way of the kin-dom.  They will witness by sharing what they have, who they are, and what they care about, not just because of who Christ was, but because of who Christ is, in and through them. And this witness is what will invite more and more people into the beloved community - this witness, their witness, will be the catalyst that builds what we now know as the Church - capital “C”. 

It is because of these apostles that we are all here today. Over the millennia - the church has not always gotten it right, and yet - it continues to exist - it continues to try - for the sake of the kin-dom through God’s abiding Love. We, our church, here in Pewee Valley - through our trust in the Way of Jesus Christ - are descendants of and heirs to that very witness. For 160 years, we have been witnesses - we too have not always gotten it right - and yet - here we are. For generations we have remained committed to this community, the one here in the pews, the one next door all week long in our Center, and to the neighbors not just of Pewee Valley, but beyond.  

For generations we that are Pewee Valley Presbyterian, have witnessed to the Way of Christ in this place, through times of peace and times of war, through times of feast and times of famine, through 33 presidencies with 31 different presidents, all while the neighborhoods around us have grown from summer homes and family farms to what they are today. Though the world around us has changed we are still here - because we have trusted in God and remained open to the movement of the Spirit. We have called a number of pastors, built and rebuilt buildings, started one of the most beloved childcare centers in the county, supported countless ministries and missions, sought to understand those with different lived experiences and stood up for justice for marginalized people locally and abroad. The Spirit has been moving in the place for a very, very long time. 

And she continues to move today - especially today as we celebrate Pentecost - a day we allow ourselves to get just a little more charismatic than usual. Do you hear her? There are so many things vying for our attention - the Spirit requires our intention. Today we celebrate a loud howling wind, visible flames, and a mysterious knowledge of languages - to remind us how powerful the Spirit can be when we set time apart to listen. 

Holy Spirit we are listening, because we desire to be a church that can meet the needs of God’s people today - in 2026.   This isn’t something we just say - it is something we witness to by what we do - AND - we have been doing…

We have taken inventory of all that we have - thanks be to God and to the stewards of this church. We have space, we have funds, but more than that we have Love, and compassion, and the desire to do something with them not just for ourselves but for others. We have seen how social connections in our world continue to deteriorate and the negative effects this has on all of us, people of every age, race, and creed - no one is immune. We see the consequences of deteriorating connections all around us not only in things like health trends, increases in anxiety and depression, but also in our public life, in policies that dehumanize our very neighbors. 

We have reflected on who we are - we are a people who believe that there is something special about the Way of Jesus Christ. We are people who believe that we are called to Live and Love like Christ in the world - because it makes a difference - no matter how small. And we are really good at sharing this love with each other, through all phases of life we have cared for and supported each other, through marriages, divorces, births, deaths, illnesses both chronic and acute and because of this we know how significant being a community and having a community truly is. 

Because of who we are, using what we have - we continue to follow the Spirit in how we worship - together in this space, how we serve - through our ministry teams, and how we engage with the community outside - with our CDC families, through partnerships with other churches, and through The Parish House. Our individual passions and gifts join together as a witness to Jesus Christ and the kin-dom of God to a world desperately in need of a church that witnesses boldly to the LOVE of God. 

A church that says come as you are. 

A church that says your questions are welcome.

A church that says you are valued and you belong. 

Not for the purpose of getting more and more people into this room on Sunday - though they may come - but so that more and more people might know the Love that we experience here through God and through each other out there. 

With souls ablaze, WE, the apostles, will witness to the way of the kin-dom.  We will witness by sharing what we have, who we are, and what we care about, not just because of who Christ was, but because of who Christ is, in and through us. In our time together this summer - Pastor Joel and I are trusting in the Holy Spirit to move through each of you. We want to allow for these mornings we spend in worship to touch on the things that are most important to us, trusting that through our commitment to make meaning of the experiences of our life through the lens of our faith - we might present an even more powerful witness to the way of Christ to a world desperately in need of a church that witnesses boldly to the Love of God in all that we do, here in our FLC, in The Parish House, out in the streets and everywhere. So …  

What do YOU care most about?

What matters most to YOU?

What questions and concerns do YOU have about life and the world as YOU know it?

How is God setting your soul on fire these days?

Holy Spirit Come! Amen.

Reverends Joel Weible and Ashia Stoess, Pastors

Pewee Valley Presbyterian Church / May 24, 2026