A Sermon Upside Down

A reverse poem for Pentecost

Originally written in 2019.

On the day of Pentecost
it’s best for us to stay quiet
No one among the disciples could believe that
the gospel is for everyone.
It might shock us to hear, but
the message of God’s love is only for a select group.
Never would the disciples say that
the spirit of God would be poured out on all flesh.
After all, the prophet Joel proclaimed that
the power of the Holy Spirit is limited to certain people
It is so ridiculous as to be offensive to say that
everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved
How can we not see that
God only speaks in one language
It is foolish to think that
even women can preach the gospel.
The stories of Scripture are clear:
God’s mercy and forgiveness are for us alone.
It is impossible to believe that
the promise is for everyone.
The Christian tradition clearly teaches
forgiveness is nearly impossible to attain.
I refuse to believe that
God’s grace can stretch wider than our imagination.
We tell the truth about what we have seen and heard:
God has chosen to be limited only to a certain few.
Peter rejects the idea that
the good news of Jesus is for everyone.
The truth is
we should be afraid
Why would anyone dare to believe
God is abundant in mercy
People from every nation cry out:
we are not meant to be one in Christ.
Only the foolish would say
the Holy Spirit can give us the strength to preach love to others.
We can look to the stories of our ancestors in the faith, and see that
it’s best to stay quiet and let God do all the saving work.
It’s too dangerous to think
we are meant to openly proclaim what God has done for us.
We confess this
By the power of the Holy Spirit, who turns the world upside down

(now read every line in reverse)