(Read Acts 2:1-21)

It was Sunday, June 7, 1981. It was the morning service there at the church. It was at my home congregation of Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nashville Tennessee. I had been asked to be the reader for the day. I was proud to do it, until I saw the lesson I had to read!

Seriously–read Acts 2:1-21. No big deal until you get to verses 9 through 11, where it lists all kinds of different peoples and cultures–each having their own very difficult names to pronounce (17 to be exact); this is why through the years when we have had confirmation youth to read on Pentecost, I have had them completely skip that portion of names!

The story is about a whirlwind that happens-not outside the house-but inside the house! That is a weather forcaster’s nightmare! Still, so were the words of every nation cascading up and down in my brain that morning as I tried to think what was the correct pronunciation of each and every one!

That morning, I had asked the pastor to pronounce a few of the words of that reading; I then made the mistake of asking an old Sunday School teacher the same question. The problem is that between the two people giving advice–and the fact that I already had an idea of how to pronounce those words–I now had three different pronunciations and when I got up to read I am pretty sure I created a fourth “translation” of a couple of them!

After so many years, I have learned, when someone who is reading that Sunday comes and asks me how to pronounce a word, I simply ask them: “How do you pronounce it?” And, if they are pretty close, and pat them on the back and say, “That’s the way to say it.” I also tell them sometimes, “If someone comes up to you and says that you didn’t pronounce it correctly, tell them that Pastor Jim would like for them to read the next Sunday!”

A whirlwind of names and experiences are found in this Acts 2 passage! Pastor Delmer Chilton, Assistant to the Bishop of the SE Synod, will be present this Sunday to guide you through all of them! We are grateful for his presence and wonderful ability to preach! Make every effort to come and hear this story of the birthday of the Church!

So what if you can’t pronounce all those names; God knows who they are!

Incidently, I was ordained that afternoon at that same church. The Acts reading in the morning was truly my last time to read as a layperson.

God loves you, and, so do I!

Pastor Jim