What a wonderful day this is!; this Pentecost celebration, this
day when fourteen young people will affirm their faith. What a special message
our lessons have for them today. “God declares, I will pour out my spirit
upon you’ Jesus says “Receive the Holy Spirit.” And that is our
prayer for you today that just as the spirit entered the lives of those first
believers the Holy Spirit might work in your lives not just for today but for
your whole lives.
Those poor disciples, Scripture tells us that they were a somber,
deflated group sitting morosely in a room somewhere in Jerusalem and then "...the
spirit suddenly came upon them." Actually, a better translation might be
"…the Spirit surprised them." And what a Spirit it was! To those
disciples wounded by life, burnt out by the demands of change, befuddled by
the cacophony of voices screaming at them from every side–yes to these
numb disciples–the Spirit comes. Like a fresh wind, like an invigorating
fire, like a symphony of voices, blending diverse languages into one stunning
harmony, the Spirit comes and a third birth happens. Echoing the creativity
of creation, reminiscent of the re-creation of resurrection, in this third movement
of God's continuing opus, the Spirit creates ecclesia–the community of
the church.
This enticing story is alive with sights and sounds and elemental
images. Can you hear the slap slap slap as it whips past the curtained doors,
the rippling sound of blowing sand as it cascades down against the walls , the
creaking of the roof beams as it crescendos in intensity. The sound of wind,
the very breath of God.
When I took a junior Lifesaving course many years ago we learned
to give artificial resperation by putting the drownded victim on their stomach
and rocking back and forth with one’s hands below the shoulder blades of
the victims. I’ve heard that earlier methods had lifesavers reviving victims
by rolling them over a barrel. But eventually medical people discovered that
the most effective method was, after removing any obstacles in the person's
mouth and wind passage, to blow directly into the mouth of the victim while
holding shut the nose. Breath to breath. Life to Life.
It is an image that illumines the gospel for Pentecost Sunday:
"[Jesus] breathed on them and said to them, `Receive the Holy Spirit.'"
Breath to breath. Life to life.
To expire is to give up breath, to die. To inspire, to take
in breath is to be given life. My prayer for you confirmands is that you be
in-spired. That you be given the creative energy of the holy spirit. Creativity,
New ideas, energy. Inspiration comes in many forms. Perhaps it comes as the
answer to a problem, a connection one hasn’t made before, a puzzle where
the pieces finally fit, the courageous crossing of a new boundary, a way to
bring beauty to life. My prayer for you: May the Spirit bring you inspiration.
What a bizarre twist our Pentecost story takes as tongues of fire appear above
the heads of the disciples. God’s presence is often seen in fire; Moses
burning bush, the pillar of fire that leads the Isrealites through the darkness
of the wilderness, the smoke and fire that obscure God’s presence on the
mountain as Moses receives the commandments. But on this day the fire rests
on the disciples. As they have been inspired so now they are to be motivated,
empowered to be Christ’s messengers of salvation to the world. Many is
the time that I would have liked to have lit a fire under you our confirmands
Thirty years ago I heard a sermon that I still remember, imagine
that. The preacher, who’s name I can not remember talked about the fire
that rests on each of us, The presence and passion of God that burns in each
of us, so the world may be led to see God. She talked about fire. Some of us
she said are like a torrid forest fire, intense and searing and rapid. As the
underbrush is cleared there will be room for new growth. Some of us are change
agents.
Some people burn like a fireplace giving off warmth, drawing
people in to be soothed, comforted and cared for. Some of us she said are like
the pilot light on a stove. A small flame, hardly noticeable until it’s
needed but always there, always able to leap into action to generate just what
is necessary. Perhaps that is what Paul was getting at as he spoke to the Corinthians,
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties
of service but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it
is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the
manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” My prayer for you confirmands
is that you be motivated and empowered for the common good. The common good—that’s
what leads us to the third manifestation of the Spirit in our Pentecost event.
They began to speak in other languages so that people from all parts of the
world heard in their own language about God’s deeds of power. The Spirit
unites.
By the Spirit, God's power and love are channeled through a
diverse people in order to unify the world. We cannot be Pentecost people–Spirit
filled people–alone. And as these transformed disciples erupt out onto
the streets of Jerusalem, it is clear that they are changed people–people
who are acting and speaking in very peculiar ways. As a result peculiar and
powerful things began to happen. Lepers were healed. Possessions were gladly
shared. Three thousand people were baptized in one day. Love and laughter erupted
abundantly. Prejudice melted away. Outsiders became insiders. The exclusivity
of the law was superseded by the inclusivity of the spirit. Justice became the
community ethic. Praise and prayer fell freely from every tongue. And while
all of this peculiar stuff was happening, the secular world looked on in amazement–at
a very deep level, yearning to become part of the party–to be seized and
saved by this sizzling spirit.
The Spirit calls us together to be a Pentecost people a people
who pay attention to the Spirit of God as it touches, tastes, tip toes and sometimes
thunders into our lives. Are we free enough and courageous enough to act peculiar
in the eyes of the world? Are we changed enough to greet greed with generosity?
Are we crazy enough to insist that personal integrity takes precedence over
personal success? Are we foolish enough to exchange the love of power for the
power of love? Are we brave enough to dive into an unknown future rather than
clinging to the familiarity of the past? Are we silly enough to place the needs
of the community above our own personal needs? My friends, just how peculiar
are we–and does the world out there notice our peculiarity? Can we claim,
today, to be part of that odd, outrageous assortment of people–shaped and
filled and buoyant with God's Spirit?
Some of us may be scared by the Spirit. It's easier to be intellectual than it is to be spiritual. Some of us may be oblivious to the Spirit. How can we experience that which we cannot see? Some of us may be embarrassed by the Spirit. We would rather be proper–than pried open with power. But one thing is clear. The Spirit comes anyway–here, now, into us and among us–seeping into our soul through the waters of baptism. The Spirit waters the seeds of God's image in our lives day after day after day. It begins with our yearning to know God–despite intellectual skepticism and secular living. For this yearning is the Spirit–tickling us, tantalizing us, tempting us–trying to open us up, to point us to the presence of God in our lives. No matter how flat or sad, no matter how troubled or confused our lives may seem–the Spirit of God is waiting to renew us and to rebirth us.
Amen.