The first time I got drunk was with Jim Brose in Jr. High.

We made Harvey Wallbangers at his parent's minibar after they had gone out for dinner. Despite mixing two drinks together I did not like on their own, vodka and orange juice, the resulting concoction was palatable, and enough to make us very dizzy, then, suddenly, very open about sharing things we had never talked about - things that were close to my heart that might inspire negative judgements - like my crush on Lynn Mirabito or my fear that my high-pitched adolescent voice might not change.

The fact that alcohol lowers our inhibitions is well-known.

It may explain why, in our Bible reading this Sunday recounting the dramatic Pentecost event when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples who had been praying in a house not drinking in a bar, were accused of intoxication.

All of a sudden, these disciples were liberated and freed up to speak their hearts. Their inhibitions were lifted. They didn't care who knew or what negative judgements they might inspire.

No, the disciples were not pounding mimosas, drinking to escape, but praying, trying to be more present.

And the more present we are before God the less we care about what other people think.

Today you and I are awash in a fearful culture obsessed with the impressions we make on others. Social media posts are scrubbed from imperfections. The uptick in loneliness is fueled, in part, because we don't want to let people in for fear they won't like what they see.

But the Holy Spirit inside you and me is a liberating, gregarious force granting us gracious permission to be ourselves no matter what others think.

Pentecost is about letting you be truly yourself - letting that which is deepest within you, the love, kindness, generosity, and joy in your God-like soul, shine forth into our needy world with boldness and power.

Pentecost means total release from the prison of public opinion.

It is liberation from the incarceration of worldly protocols that inhibit us from doing the holy work of our hearts.

So saints, let us be free - to get on with moving outside of ourselves: to comforting the bereaved, standing up for the poor, providing for the homeless, visiting inmates, speaking truth to power - the power of the Holy Spirit is known by the love it has for others - we’re not drunk with wine - we’re overcome by love - let us not be shy in letting that love shine.