Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:25-35,37; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13; John 7:37-39
Mr. Chris Paul, Seminarian
Happy Pentecost Day and Happy Birthday to the church! I feel like we should be having this big birthday celebration with a barbeque on the front lawn with kids running around with headbands that have flames on their heads, but I suppose that may be too much. I did hear we may have some cake downstairs after this service today, so there is that! We gather together each year on this day to hear the story of the birth of the church when the holy spirit came down upon the apostles, appearing as a tongue of flame upon each one’s head, and they started speaking in different languages, essentially spreading the word of God, and building the church.
What is important for us to remember today is that we are not only celebrating the birth of the church, but we also need to celebrate that coming of the Holy Spirit, for without the Holy Spirit, there would be no church. In Greek, Pentecost means fifty, so of course, it is right that we celebrate this day of Pentecost 50 days after the Passover. But we don’t always view this church birthday like other holidays such as Easter or Christmas. For some, Pentecost may rank as a 3 or 4 on a scale of 10. It may not seem quite as important or get as much attention. There typically is no special dinner or luncheon planned. There are no major liturgical changes other than the red vestments, and if you were lucky and remembered, you may have worn a red outfit to signify the day. One really cool thing we did today was recruiting people and having them talk in different languages in a cacophonous round of scripture reading. You aren’t going to see that very often, and it is a unique way to recall our reading from ACTS today and sets Pentecost apart as its own special day.
In our reading from ACTS, the disciples were all sitting together in a room, praying and waiting. There has been a lot going on lately, so what was going to happen next? When Suddenly, a violent wind rushes into the room, and fire appears among them, with a “tongue” of fire resting on each of them. The Holy Spirit filled each of them as they began to speak in other languages. Can you imagine, just for a minute, if a rush of wind had come blowing in those church doors with flames right before we heard all these people stand and read in different languages? It might be a little startling to us. And, What If someone new were to walk into our church at that very moment when everyone was speaking in different languages, with these flames on their heads? They would probably stop in their tracks, slowly turn around and try to walk back out that door without being seen.
Just like in our reading today, when we heard about how people who witnessed this event of the disciples speaking in different languages thought that they had gotten in the wine or something was wrong with them, some people may think we are a little crazy ourselves, especially if they walked in today. Oh, by the way, Welcome to any newcomers! Don’t forget to fill out that card for Candice!! We would love to hear from you! But, I find it interesting that when we don’t understand something or something seems different, we quickly say there must be something wrong with that person. They must be drunk. Maybe they have a mental disability. Surely it can’t be the Holy Spirit working within them. I wonder why that is. Why are we so quick to doubt that it could be the work of the Holy Spirit? Do we have to be like Thomas and touch the side of God to believe that it is God truly? Why is it easier for us to doubt than to believe? Peter quickly tells everyone who is doubting that this is the spirit of God poured out upon all flesh and that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Pentecost is a day for us to remember that the Holy Spirit is poured out upon us at our baptism; and that we are also given many gifts through this spirit—gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, prophecy, discernment, and interpretation of tongues. The best part about every one of us here today is that we are all individuals; we all have unique talents and gifts. We come from different backgrounds; in fact, we can be so different that it can be hard to agree at times fully, but, nevertheless, we are here together in the church today. The Holy Spirit binds us to the church in so many ways. There can be little doubt that all of us here this morning are all unique individuals; no one is alike.
The church has survived over so many centuries because of the diversity of its members. That is what makes the church so special. The Holy Spirit binding us together to care for one another, love one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, and help one another. The holy spirit is to the church what air and water are to every one of us. Water sustains us just as the Holy Spirit does. Water maintains us, just as the Holy Spirit does. And we get all kinds of great imagery in our readings during Pentecost. We hear about rushing winds, tongues of flame, rivers of living water, and even the Leviathan. We hear about water today because Pentecost happens during The Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, which features a water libation ritual that provides the context of Jesus’ teaching in our gospel reading. During this ritual, the priests processed from the temple to the nearby pool of Siloam, drawing water into a golden pitcher and returning to the temple to pour the water out onto the altar. No, we won’t be pouring out any pitchers of water on the altar today, either. But, This ritual reenacted the miraculous moment in the wilderness when Moses struck the rock, and water gushed from it. Thus, life-giving water comes from an unforeseen source, Jesus. Through the waters of baptism, the Holy Spirit promises that he is always there throughout our journey and the twists and turns that life takes us. The Holy Spirit reminds us that God never gives up on us. He comforts us when we are sad, lifts us up when we are down, and gives us the power to live as children of God. It is through the spirit working in us that God is no longer this distant and remote object. The cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ are more than just some historical events that we talk about. We live into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians that we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one spirit. You will often see Pentecost depicted in many church windows, and In The Church of the Ascension, The right window above the baptismal font in the back represents Pentecost, which is a perfect place because of the images of fire and water that we have already heard about today. When you look, The right lancet window depicts Pentecost, showing the Holy Spirit descending upon the apostles, thus beginning their mission as teachers and also the young Jesus in the Temple. The inscription on the windows reads, “Except a man reborn of water and of spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.” These windows perfectly represent our Pentecost Day and receiving the Holy Spirit through Baptism. And Water is always central in scripture because it is something that our bodies need to survive; we literally thirst for it, and it is freely given to us by the grace of God. We can’t survive for long without it. Water alone has the power to mold and shape things. It changes us, and it changes landscapes. The Grand Canyon, for instance, was molded out of running water alone. Imagine what it does to us when we receive that life-changing water through baptism. It changes and molds us. But sometimes, our bodies can show signs of thirst. We are lacking something. Our mouths get dry; we get weary. Physically we get tired. We show inner, emotional signs of thirst, which can manifest as anger, depression, and anxiety. Advertisers know we are thirsty, and they try to distract us. Their pitches are driven toward trying to get to those who are thirsty or in need of something. Look at Diets, car ads, and anti-wrinkle cream ads. You better correct those fine lines and wrinkles before it’s too late! These advertisements are all built to do one thing: to get to us first and try to falsely fulfill that thirst that we are seeking to quench in our lives. As John tells us in our Gospel reading today, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and let the one who believes in me drink.” Jesus speaks to people who have tried what culture has to offer and found it empty, people who are burned out on the world’s hollow promises and false advertising. Jesus summons people, saying that when you have discovered that none of the empty promises of a seductive culture can ease your thirst, come to me and drink the true and living water. Jesus speaks to all people who find themselves in unsatisfying places, still deeply thirsty for a life with profound meaning. Like the sound of a beautiful hymn that rises the call of Jesus to us, let anyone thirsty come to me. So, Yes, we are celebrating the birthday of the church today, but we also must celebrate and pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Pray that the Holy Spirit keeps replenishing us with life-giving water. Pray, Whisper, sing, shout, and proclaim to the heavens, Come Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit upon all of us this Day! Like a mighty rushing wind that blows through those doors and ignites that flame within all of our hearts today and forevermore.