Pentecost: Don't Get Lost in the Special Effects

My wife and I just saw the movie "Super 8".  We thoroughly enjoyed the show.  Without giving away too much, the movie is about a group of young people who, while filming a movie, are a witness to a train crash.  What they do not know at the time is that an unknown monster escapes from that train and becomes the cause of a number of strange incidents in the town.  What we loved about the movie is that the story did not get lost in the special effects.  The movie is really about that group of young people, their relationship with each other, their interactions, and their decisions in response to a crisis.  We enjoyed the special effects, but we were moved by the young people and their story.   

Pentecost is one of those stories in the Bible where you can get lost in the special effects.  Those effects include the wind that blows through the room where the disciples are gathered, the Holy Spirit descending as tongues of fire on each person, and the miracle of those disciples, running out into the streets of Jerusalem, being able to speak all the various languages of the people who had come to Jerusalem.  All in all, the special effects are quite amazing.  What can be lost is what I believe is the true miracle, the story underneath the special effects.  What I find amazing is that all those people in Jerusalem, who listened to those first disciples speaking in their own language, heard the disciples' witness as good news.  The wonder of Pentecost is that the Gospel is universal, not the wind, fire, or gift of language.  The truth is that every person want to know that they are loved by God.  Every person wants to know they are forgiven.  Every person want the promise of new life.  The list continues with hope, peace, joy, purpose, etc.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone.  That is the story of Pentecost.  That is what we celebrate.  And that wonder should not be lost is the special effects.