May 24, 2015
Pentecost
Acts 2:1-21
Romans 8:22-27
(prayer)
Our world is
not the same today as it was fifty days ago.
Seven weeks ago, there was barely a green blade of grass to be
seen. If memory serves, there wasn't any
fresh snow on the ground on Easter morning, but I do remember deciding it would
be wiser to hold the 8am service inside the church rather than on the church
yard.
In these past
seven weeks, the presidents of Cuba and the United States formally met together
significantly thawing one of the last remaining icicles of the Cold War - that
dominated world affairs for the latter half of the 20th century.
A baby girl
named Charlotte became fourth in line to succeed Queen Elizabeth II of England.
An earthquake
devastated the mountainous nation of Nepal killing thousands.
A Boston
Marathon bomber was convicted of murder and domestic terrorism. He was sentenced to death.
Alberta
elected a new provincial government that will formally begin its work in about
three hours.
Tom Brady was
suspended for one quarter of the next NFL season for making sure he could throw
slightly deflated footballs - while a former teammate of his was found guilty
of murder.
And... just
yesterday, we learned that Ireland was welcomed into the league of nations that offer marriage equality.
//
Beyond the
home pages of news website, each of us has experienced our own changes since
April 5th. Some good, some sad, some
hopeful, some worrisome.
In the grand
span of history 50 days is but an instant.
And yet, these past seven weeks have witnessed change.
//
//
The disciples
of Jesus were back in Jerusalem for the spring harvest festival known as
'Pentecost' or 'Weeks'. It had only been
about 50 days since Jesus was crucified.
Barely seven weeks had passed since they heard idle tales of an empty tomb.
It had been
less than two months since the Risen Jesus had stood among the offering words
of peace and invited them into the world to share good news of God’s deep compassion.
When the day
of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place... and they were changed
once again... on the rush of the wind.
An unexpected
unity was known (not just among Jesus' followers) but within the diverse group
of pilgrims that had come to celebrate the first fruits of the harvest.
It was
amazing.
It was
confusing.
It must have
been scary.
And it was
inspiring - literally 'in-spiriting'.
Peter offered
words from scripture (from the scroll of the minor prophets). The prophet Joel said: God’s Spirit will pour out on ALL flesh - women, men,
young, old, servants, masters. ALL will
see with new eyes, dream grand visions and proclaim the nearness of the Reign
of God. It will be obvious to anyone who
has eyes to see and ears to hear.
//
In the gospel
of John, it says that many people were drawn to Jesus because of "signs
and wonders" he performed. It is
likely very true that it was Jesus reputation as a skilled healer (miracle
worker some would say) that invited people to seek him out.
On that
Pentecost morning, Peter saw the breaking down of the barriers of language as a sign of some ever broader wonder: God
can (and
does) ignore the dividing lines we draw between people.
Over the past
few weeks, I have been preaching about the ever-widening circle of welcome
within the early Christian movement as we read through the book of Acts.
We have take a
step back in that chronology this morning.
Peter's Pentecost Prognostications predate the leadership of Stephen,
the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian and the invitation from
Cornelius.
The inertia of
the followers of Jesus open arms rather than close doors begins with leaving
the house on Pentecost and joining the crowds in the street - allowing them to
see and hear the Spirit touching those beyond their group. Joel's words made manifest. God's Spirit pouring out on all flesh.
//
//
Yes, signs and
wonders can make an impact. But the
Spirit moves in subtle ways as well.
A few decades
after that Pentecost, a new follower of Christ Jesus would offer a new metaphor
for The Spirit in a letter to believers in Rome.
The Spirit is
a midwife, who is helping birth something wonderful and new. Yes, there is struggle leading up to that
moment. "The whole creation -
including us - ", Paul wrote "have been groan in labour pains."
The Spirit helps us breathe through the pains - sighing along with us until the
new life has emerged.
Yes, signs and
wonders can get God's Spirit noticed on grand scales, but the Spirit also moves
amidst the sighs too deep for words. The
Spirit moves not only in the streets where division reigns, but also in hearts
and minds where real change always happens.
//
One of the big
news stories this weekend is the Yes win in Ireland's same sex marriage
referendum. Several nations have
marriage equality laws, but what is different (in this case) is that it is the
first time such a law was enacted by an open popular vote - as opposed to
legislative or judicial actions.
I am not
convinced that 'minority rights' should only be doled at the whim of the
majority. Often the last half century we
have seen that legislating and adjudication equal civil rights very often
precedes public support. When it comes
to what is just and right, societies can not always wait for public opinion to
catch up.
The test of
time - on the issues of civil rights - continually confirms that hearts and
minds do change.
//
//
The movement
of the Spirit on that first Christian Pentecost was grand and powerfully
inspiring, but the real work of the Spirit is often slower and more personal -
Peter who experienced the Spirit being poured out on ALL flesh still took a
while before he could offer the waters of baptism to the household of the
gentile Roman centurian Cornelius - proclaiming on that day: "I now see
that God shows no partiality!"
//
We are
inheritors of this movement.
We are vessels
of the moving Spirit of God who reaches past the boundaries "we" put
around each other. The Spirit ignores
our cliques, our prejudices, our illusions of grandeur. The Spirit sighs in the struggle to open arms
of welcome. And... the Spirit works on
our hearts and minds until the new life of God's love emerges.
Let's take
that hope and promise beyond these walls and into the streets.
Thanks be to
God.
Let us pray:
Spirit of the Living God, fall freshly
on us. Guide us. Inspire us.
Fill us. Use us. Amen.
#79MV
“Spirit, Open My Heart”
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