Breath and Becoming

What follows is a transcript of Pastor Gina’s message from our Sunday morning gathering. We share these messages on our blog for those who appreciate the opportunity to read the sermon again—whether for deeper reflection, personal study, or a quieter moment of prayer and introspection. As you read, we invite you to linger with the words, notice what resonates, and remain open to how God may be speaking to you through them.

by Pastor Gina Johnson

So, last week I told you all that we were only talking about the first part when it comes to Pentecost. Because before it was about fire and about wind and awakening within people, there was something more going on there. You know, Pentecost, as I said before, is one of the greatest celebrations in the Christian church and it's one of my favorites, if not my very favorite.

But more than it was about what occurred in the story, and we'll get to that in just a moment, it was about what was happening there for humanity. Something had shifted, a light switch had turned on, something was moved out of the way that now they could remember. Knowing that Jesus was going to go away for a little bit, now they were invited to remember that God isn't something you're going to have to long for.

God isn't something that you're going to have to wonder, where is God? There was something that clicked, something that fell into place, and because of this they experienced awakening. And in that awakening, the Spirit came through. The fire and the wind and all the bells and whistles are great.

They give us an opportunity to do beautiful things like this in church, and they give us an opportunity to understand what that feels like. But we have to recognize the story behind the story. In that moment, there was something so profound because humans were getting to realize that they don't have to go through this alone.

They don't have to wander through this experience disconnected from wisdom, searching for meaning, trying to figure out what is divine presence and how do I experience that. Because without Jesus beside me, it doesn't feel the same. And Jesus is saying, wait, wait, wait, but I leave you an advocate.

I leave you a comforter. I leave you a wise counselor who has actually been with you all along. Jesus came in and spent that time with them to teach them that the Spirit that brings us into direct connection with God isn't confined to temples, to sanctuaries, to the elite, to those who have money, to those who have some form of a spiritual title.

The divine moves all throughout humanity, all throughout all aspects of our life when we just pause long enough to recognize it and to feel it. The individuals that were there, the disciples that were gathered, and there was more than just the 11. Those that were gathered, they were there and they were wondering, what now? For as much as many of them had the inside scoop for spending day in and day out beside Jesus, the story still didn't go however they were clinging to in their mind.

Some of them were uncertain of what was next. Some of them were in fear because of all the stories that they hear going on about the persecution of those who were with him. Some of them were carrying shame because in those final moments, they didn't quite do what they thought they would do as a follower, as a friend, as a lover of Jesus.

Instead, they have uncertainty and grief, anticipation for what's next. But within all of that, they had hope. They had a level of presence that opened the door for the spirit to say, I'm here.

You know, scripture doesn't begin with polished people who have it all together. Everything is in order. People grew to master things spiritually, but they had to be willing to pause and to remain and to be open to trusting in the middle of not knowing what's going to happen next.

Let's take a look at the scripture.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all gathered together in one place, 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. Divided tongues as of fire appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the spirit gave them ability. Now, there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem, and at the sound, the crowd gathered and was bewildered because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear each of us in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs, in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.

All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, what does this mean? But others sneered and said, they are filled with wine. But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, fellow Jews and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning.

And that concludes our reading. So when you step into this story, like I said in the beginning, it's hard to miss the wind, the fire, the different languages, even the accusation of them being drunk. All of a sudden, all the language barriers were collapsed and things that were hidden behind locked doors within the soul were now revealed.

When you read this, you can't help but think, wow, that would have been so exciting. Who would you have been? Would you have been one of the ones speaking in tongues? Would you be one of the ones thinking, what is going on? What does this mean? Or would you have been one of those men? Man, what are they drinking? I want one. Which place would you have fallen? I think when we listen to the story and we get caught up in the spectacle, we miss the part of what the Spirit is doing there.

In Hebrew, the word is ruach, which means breath, wind, the moving presence of God. In Greek, the word is pneuma, and it carries a very similar tone. And both of those describe wind rushing through a house.

So as you can see, we're talking about so much more than just emotions and atmosphere and what have they been up to this morning. There was a presence. There was a dominant feeling of essence moving through the house.

They're describing the way that Spirit comes in and captures us all. It can sway us this way. It can sway us that way.

It can be still, and it can take over. And then there's the image of fire, and fire illuminates. Fire transforms.

Fire can spread beyond itself. One flame can light another without losing its own vibrancy, without losing its own light. And that image alone explains how Pentecost is endured through the centuries.

It's a continuous fire that continues to move and illuminate one another, continues to bring each other that kind of heat that charges you, not with just a passion of the world, but with a passion to seek after that higher knowing, to seek after God, to seek to be like God, to seek to embody that we are God. That's a lot sometimes when I say that line to people, but it's nothing short of the truth. People are longing to feel alive and feel connected.

And in that moment, the disciples were feeling that too, where they had been placing all of their hope for their future. They missed a step. They forgot that Jesus kept saying, you, you, your faith has made you well.

You did this. I'm only doing this to fulfill the prophecy. He said, you will do greater things than I. And then when he's gone, people fall in that hopeless abandonment of what now? But it was within them because he told them you, and they started to feel alive.

And when they had the spirit, that longing of uncertainty, that longing of what's next, that numbness, that space that starts to divide us from each other is no longer in existence. I know last week I told you guys a little bit about the Sophia, how in the ancient wisdom, they called holy wisdom, the Sophia. And it was a way of saying, you know, this is not merely about intellect and intelligence.

This isn't about accumulating knowledge and hoping to do something with it. The Sophia was to teach you that divine order is taking place, that you can have knowledge and you can accumulate and acquire facts. But when you have the spirit's presence there, it brings divine order and takes chaos and makes it into harmony.

It takes those spaces where we feel incomplete and we are worried, and it illuminates for us that there's something more to this. It's interesting being a preacher, guys. Okay, so now you get a story.

Unplanned story, but you know it's one of those things. Is that the Holy Spirit? Did I eat some bad pizza this morning? What's going on? Yeah, this was going to come later, so now I'm just moving it all forward. Okay, so you know what? Let's go with plain talk.

I have this great message here for you, and I'm sure I'm going to get back to it. Okay, but I've been telling you guys I am just nuts about the Holy Spirit. Okay, and it's funny because even the ways that I believe the Holy Spirit interacts, sometimes I find myself pausing and I'm like, Tina, is that the Holy Spirit? Is that good luck? Is that common sense? Like what the heck is it? Is it the Spirit? But I'll tell you this past week, surprise guys, I've had an eventful week.

Who in here is surprised? Raise your hand. Exactly, right? And so on Wednesday, I get to start off the day by meeting with a very special person, and there wasn't really a lot to talk about. We come together and talk about the business of the church, and we've been on top of it a lot lately, and so somehow it was perfectly timed.

It was a space for me to kind of share all the things that I've been moving through, which was unplanned, but as I was sharing them, and I could feel myself go from like wanting to cry, not wanting to cry, wanting to cry, not wanting to cry, there was a moment, and I might mess this up a little bit, but you'll get the gist of it. Some of you have already heard it, but this individual talked to me about the greater Creator presence within me, and how in the midst of everything going on, okay, so Monday, I took my car in to get two new tires put on the front. Just so you guys know, I did that less than 6,000 miles ago.

So what does that mean? That means there's something wrong, and I needed two new tires in alignment. As I leave that place, I don't pay attention. I'm just so glad to have it back.

Tuesday, I get my car, and it's making a noise. I don't like this noise. I've never heard this noise before, so I drive it straight back to the place, and they say, nope, everything's great.

We put tires on, the alignment's good. If you're curious about that noise, just call the guys next door. I'm like, but it didn't do that noise until you guys had it, and they say, well, it's not a safety concern.

Okay, so then I leave, and I'm like, my goodness, that sure feels like a safety concern. Is that the Holy Spirit? I don't know, so I call next door, and this guy is wonderful, because we become best friends, because I seem to call Tri-State Ford frequently, and I tell him about it. He says, do this, Gina, so I do it.

He says, do that, Gina, so I do that, too. Nope, I don't, you know what that sounds like? That sounds like this could be that, but nothing to worry about. Okay, are you sure? Yeah, yeah.

Why don't we get you in next Tuesday? Okay, sounds good. A week later, nothing to worry about. Now we're in Wednesday, and I'm driving that car to come here for that meeting, and I'm like, this does not sound safe.

This is not good, and I take it there, and I ask one of the guys to come out and listen, and the minute he hears it, he's like, yeah, that could be belts. That could be your alternator. That could be something.

You better not drive that. No crap, Sherlock. Really? Is that where we're at now? And so I'm like, wonderful.

Will you please squeeze it in and get it looked at? So then I go to this meeting, and I'm with this person, and I'm thinking, do you know, in the past several months, I have put over thousands of dollars into this car. I'm in the middle of moving my daughter. I'm in the middle of doing all of these things, and I feel like I'm at my breaking point, but the truth of the matter is that when that person said to me, you know that essence in you? Because we have personality, and we have these bodies that we're running around in, but there's something greater, that essence.

He reminded me that that essence, that creator within me, is there to remind me that there's not only something greater within me always, that there's always something greater in this whole existence, in this whole creation, and that, my friends, is the Holy Spirit. That, my friends, is the presence of Christ Jesus. That, my friends, is the universe, or God, or the creator, or whatever word you want to say, the alpha and the omega.

It's that greater divine presence that resides in you when you do have things falling apart, when you are aging, or diagnosed with something unexpected, when you get into a relationship difficulty, or a car challenge, when your church is in a challenging place, and your pastor's moving on, or when you continue to see your friends around you going through these hardships, and you think, oh no, it's coming for me next. Whenever you're navigating through any of that, that Holy Spirit is that greater presence that's just within you. And what took place in that space is that understanding that the Spirit was no longer reserved for kings, and prophets, and wise men, and priests.

Pentecost was announcing that the divine can move through ordinary people. We're talking fishermen, widows. Yes, some of these people were grieving.

Some of these people were lost, and confused, and carrying doubt. But some of these people were just going about their day, gathering together to comfort one another, to be the strength, and something happened that changed that entire space. It's called people were open.

You know, Thomas Merton says, we are already one, but we imagine that we are not. And that right there is so important. We are all one.

When I see you, I should see another version of me, and the only thing I should want to do is love that person. And if you're behaving or acting in certain ways that are hard to love, then I should turn within myself and seek what do I need to do so I can still be a presence of love and Spirit no matter what you're doing. No matter what words you're saying, no matter what faces you're making, no matter what actions you're doing, how can I find that greater space in myself that I can still be love and divinity to you no matter what is going on.

You know, when this took place, the disciples weren't all of a sudden realizing like, wow, we're valuable to God. We have the Holy Spirit. Not at all.

Something occurred within them and through them that they were realizing this is what Jesus meant. We have been preparing. We have been moving with readiness for such a time as this, and now here we are.

And still there are people who were amazed that were ready to sign up for a dose of the Holy Spirit, but then there were probably some like you all. There's the amazed here. There's the curious.

There's the dismissive. There's those who are ready to go to lunch, but in the middle of all of it, it doesn't matter. What matters is that greater realization that as humans we move through this world and struggle and suffering and all those gross words that lock us into a framework, and the Holy Spirit says, no, God is beyond that framework.

Spirit is beyond that framework. Life moves beyond that framework. And the moment we get caught up in trying to explain it, then people might mock us.

What have you been drinking this morning? What are you talking about? Is that because of your religion? Is that your denomination? Do they believe that? When we try to get there, mockery happens. But you know, there was this guy, and I'm going to try to say his name correctly. His name is Ignaz Semmelweis, and he was a Hungarian physician and scientist, and as he was working along with his colleagues, he said, guys, I think we should wash our hands before we work with these people.

And a lot of people who have been practicing this ancient medicines and form of healing were like, why would we do that? We don't do that, especially when they were working with elements that had to do with nature and creating things. It's like, no, we don't want to stop and wash our hands. Isn't it funny that eventually it gets decided that, hey, hand washing is not only necessary before we go into surgery or medical procedures, but it's something we should do all the time.

That's what happens in spirituality. The reality, the truth that's getting put out there, if a person isn't ready to hear it, they might miss it. They might mock it.

They might run away from it. Music is something that you have to hear and feel and embody so it gets you moving. Love is something that you have to experience so you can laugh, so you can cry, so you can have passion.

Wisdom is something that you have to practice because it has to get in you and it has to sit and it has to percolate so it's ready to be shared. Spiritual life is very similar. It doesn't just happen by reading about it, by singing some songs, by listening to an audio here or there.

It happens from participation, readiness, that openness to say, God, I know you're always doing something bigger in me and you have given me everything I need to experience that bigger and then the next bigger and then the next bigger. And we can't think in forms of objects and material and external things. That bigger thing is a life force that's moving in you and is reminding you, not only am I creator God, but I am creator God.

And you have the ability to grow and to create and to have deeper understanding and to help yourself and people gain in capacity. Capacity to love. Capacity to give.

Capacity to create. Capacity to forgive. Even in those moments where your forgiveness tank is empty, there's always just a little more in there.

Capacity to remain steady and anchored in the truth of God no matter what's going on. As this week continued on, it didn't turn out that my, now I can't remember, that my alternator is bad and that my water pump is out. And it's really interesting because I had so much temptation to be upset.

I cried. I talked to multiple people. I went into this space of like, this is one of those weird ones where it's like, wait, what else am I doing wrong? Why do these things keep happening? Why is my carpet, is this because I'm not supposed to move? Am I not supposed to go to Overland Park? Is that why this is happening? It's amazing the path that our minds can go on when we allow the outside noise to pull us in.

But you know what? There was this person. Her name's Pam Dugan. She lent me her car and said, keep it as long as you want, Gina.

That's why I have another car. There is a person who loves me very dearly that said, hey, I'll take care of that. You don't even talk about it.

Just stay focused on what you're supposed to be doing. There are people that come along into our lives and again, do I have the Holy Spirit? Do I have just really good friends? Either way, there was that still small or very loud voice within them saying, hey, Pam, why don't you let Gina use your car? Hey, why don't you help Gina put that down so she can focus on what she's supposed to be focused on? Her family, her family, her presence. And when you can see that, that is the real talk.

That's why I pause the message because that's the Holy Spirit. It's that deeper part of you that's alive and it's not just merely comforting us in times where we're feeling fragmented. It's not just there for when we have false fear, for when we're trying to perform every second of our lives because we never feel like we can just be ourselves.

It's not just there when we're giving life to unnecessary spaces. It's there to bring us back. Back to self, back to love, back to clarity, back to peace, back to the I am.

The I am that's underneath it all, that greater creator God. Saint Augustine says, God is closer to me than I am to myself. Howard Thurman says, the sound of the genuine is the spirit within us.

The sound of the genuine. Isn't that interesting? Saint Augustine and Howard Thurman, different times all together and yet they're still pointing to the same thing. That participation in the divine reveals that unveiling of the Holy Spirit and then we don't have to erase our humanity.

We don't have to erase our fears. We don't have to erase those moments where we feel disconnected. We just no longer let them dominate us.

We no longer let them tell us who we are because there is a voice, whether again it's quiet or loud, that's much more truthful than any experience, than anything that can be said to us, and that is the voice of the Spirit. And that's why I want to encourage you throughout your week, pray. Take time to pray.

And remember, prayer doesn't look like this. Hey God, thanks for all that stuff, but here's what I really need. I need this, and I need this, and I need this.

No, hang up the phone, okay? Sometimes prayer looks like this. God, I am so grateful. You are so amazing. Now I'm going to be quiet and just sitting there.

Take time to reflect. Take time to sit in complete silence. Take time to study. Take time to have a meaningful conversation.

Not just what have you been up to all week. What do you got going on this weekend? Not just dwelling on our problems, but a space where we actually allow each other to feel seen and heard. And then remember that God isn't all of a sudden present because it's Pentecost, and once we leave here we can go back into our robotic mode of sleeping. This day is to celebrate, to remind us, to awaken us if we aren't awake already, to say God has always been present, and he's living in and through you.

So, if you want to see the Holy Spirit, then it's about time you bring that Holy Spirit forward.

Please pray with me. Our most gracious and loving God, we are so grateful for the many gifts you give us, that you would entrust us such a divine piece of you that we as your children can illuminate the Spirit within us.

God, as we are all here in this space, you are meeting us in that special sacred area, that place where we have our Holy of Holies, where there is a need, where there is a cry, where there is an uncertainty or a doubt, and as you meet us there, God, we release it. We simply let it go to you, and we allow that space to be filled with what is truth, what is love, what is you. So in this moment, breathe on us, breath of God.

Breathe in us, Spirit living, and help us to be the moving and living example of the Christ. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.