Today is Pentecost
This day marks what people refer to as the beginning of the Church or the Churches’ birthday. The day began as a Jewish holiday and we are told from the Book of Acts that the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound like a rushing wind filled the entire house and tongues of fire appeared among them and all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.
You can imagine the scene as the crowd began to speak in various types of tongues. They speak in different languages, causing differences among them from the beginning.
Today, we often hear conversations about how deeply divided we are as a people. We sometimes seem to occupy completely different realities than our neighbors. We seem to be on edge as a people at times, wondering what the next calamity will be. We all seem to be yearning for peace.
Today, in our New Testament reading from the book of Acts, marks the day that the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples. When the Spirit descends, they all get the same gift - the Holy Spirit - but they don’t all get the same gifts from the Spirit. When the Spirit descends upon them they all begin to speak in different languages.
The giving of these gifts of the Spirit that the church receives eventually begins to cause division among the people — people rarely remain in unity — it takes little to tear us apart.
Differently gifted people begin to clash and argue among themselves. They begin to argue about whose gift is most valuable. Paul has to explain to them in 1 Corinthians that “…there are a varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are a varieties of services but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.”
God is the source of all gifts and the gifts are given for you not to become proud but rather, we are told, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” We are to use these gifts for each other — for the body of Christ.
Tom Woolfolk this year for the Great Vigil of Easter stood up and cantered the Exultant for us. His gift of voice that God has given him truly blessed us all and though he had little time to prepare, he shared his gift with us and we were all enriched by it. We benefited from what God has gifted him with.
The body suffers when a member leaves the church or excludes themselves for whatever reason — by doing so, you are withholding the gift that God has given you from the Body, which hinders its functioning. It hinders our functioning as the Body of Christ.
The Holy Spirit that is given to the church on the day of Pentecost, the third member of the Trinity, does many things for us we are told but one is, is the Spirit brings peace. The coming of the Spirit is a promise of peace for us. The disciples had seen their Lord crucified and risen. They were confused about what comes next. Jesus had just ascended into heaven in a cloud, and now the Spirit appears in a rushing wind and fire. There has been a lot going on that could tear up a person’s nerves. The Spirit was given as an assurance.
The Spirit is depicted in terms of wind and fire. Fire and wind are not things that we can easily control. And fire and wind are things whose form, intensity and effects always look different — they are never the same. I have a certain interest in both wind and fire. I love to burn stuff and I love to sail. I love the unpredictability of them both. The Spirit is given to each of us, but the gifts we receive and how they are manifested among us are different.
Jesus promised his disciples back in John 14:27, ‘Peace among you and peace be with you.’ The Spirit is the fulfillment of the promise of peace.
The Spirit descends and brings peace and secondly, the coming of the Spirit is a reason for joy and should bring joy. Joy is an emotion I confess that evades me on a regular basis.
In John 16: 20-22, as Jesus was talking to his disciples, he tells them, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” They must have wondered when that was going to happen. Jesus reminds them there is reason for joy, and that the joy that wouldn’t be taken away is the Spirit.
Jesus had told them, “I am with you always — even until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) The Spirit that dwells with us is with us until the end of the age. And our joy cannot be taken away — the Spirit cannot be taken away. Which gives us reason to rejoice and be joyful each day knowing that we are not alone — that God has not left us alone.—
The coming of the Spirit also came with a new responsibility and a way to fulfill that responsibility. “As the Father has sent me, so send I you.” Jesus charges his disciples - Jesus charges the church -- with going out into the world and sharing the good news of God’s love with the world. Many people have asked over the ages, “What is the purpose of my life?”, “Why am I here?” - Here is the answer — you are here to share God’s love with others. In any way you can, by any means you can, as long as you can.
The term “evangelism” is a term that we as Episcopalians tend to shy away from — that is something those “other faith groups” do, but we are under the same command as others — “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel,” and we do this with the power, joy and peace of the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he left his disciples and he left the church, with a task — to go into the world and preach the Gospel. We do this in many different ways, but everything we do as a parish should be focused on one of a few things,
1. Growing us up as disciples (studies etc. that help us become more like Christ)
2. Fellowship, and
3. Reaching out to the world around us — letting others know what God has done for us and how the love of God has changed us.
The text from 1 Corinthians today reminds us that while the body has many members, we are all members of the same body and all are given the same Spirit. All have different gifts — but all belong to the same body, gifted by the same Spirit.
Study after study has shown that we all gravitate to those who think like us, those who are in same socio-economic circles as us, those with whom we share similar culture. We find ourselves uncomfortable and judgmental when we are around those who differ from us or have a different post of view. We need to remember that we all are members of the same body.
The Holy Spirit is wind and flame: it can be comforting, like a campfire or a gentle breeze — or it can be too hot, destructive, and uncomfortable. The same is true of church.
We are told, but “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.” They weren’t divided at that moment.
We are here together. You are part of us, the church, gifted with the Holy Spirit and your own gifts. You have experiences that no one else here has. You can do things no one else can do. And it won’t always be easy, but we’re here, and we’re together. The Holy Spirit has descended upon us all again, making us unique, and making us one. Let us value one another, recognizing the different gifts God has given us and working together to help spread His love to those around us. Amen.
You can imagine the scene as the crowd began to speak in various types of tongues. They speak in different languages, causing differences among them from the beginning.
Today, we often hear conversations about how deeply divided we are as a people. We sometimes seem to occupy completely different realities than our neighbors. We seem to be on edge as a people at times, wondering what the next calamity will be. We all seem to be yearning for peace.
Today, in our New Testament reading from the book of Acts, marks the day that the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples. When the Spirit descends, they all get the same gift - the Holy Spirit - but they don’t all get the same gifts from the Spirit. When the Spirit descends upon them they all begin to speak in different languages.
The giving of these gifts of the Spirit that the church receives eventually begins to cause division among the people — people rarely remain in unity — it takes little to tear us apart.
Differently gifted people begin to clash and argue among themselves. They begin to argue about whose gift is most valuable. Paul has to explain to them in 1 Corinthians that “…there are a varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are a varieties of services but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.”
God is the source of all gifts and the gifts are given for you not to become proud but rather, we are told, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” We are to use these gifts for each other — for the body of Christ.
Tom Woolfolk this year for the Great Vigil of Easter stood up and cantered the Exultant for us. His gift of voice that God has given him truly blessed us all and though he had little time to prepare, he shared his gift with us and we were all enriched by it. We benefited from what God has gifted him with.
The body suffers when a member leaves the church or excludes themselves for whatever reason — by doing so, you are withholding the gift that God has given you from the Body, which hinders its functioning. It hinders our functioning as the Body of Christ.
The Holy Spirit that is given to the church on the day of Pentecost, the third member of the Trinity, does many things for us we are told but one is, is the Spirit brings peace. The coming of the Spirit is a promise of peace for us. The disciples had seen their Lord crucified and risen. They were confused about what comes next. Jesus had just ascended into heaven in a cloud, and now the Spirit appears in a rushing wind and fire. There has been a lot going on that could tear up a person’s nerves. The Spirit was given as an assurance.
The Spirit is depicted in terms of wind and fire. Fire and wind are not things that we can easily control. And fire and wind are things whose form, intensity and effects always look different — they are never the same. I have a certain interest in both wind and fire. I love to burn stuff and I love to sail. I love the unpredictability of them both. The Spirit is given to each of us, but the gifts we receive and how they are manifested among us are different.
Jesus promised his disciples back in John 14:27, ‘Peace among you and peace be with you.’ The Spirit is the fulfillment of the promise of peace.
The Spirit descends and brings peace and secondly, the coming of the Spirit is a reason for joy and should bring joy. Joy is an emotion I confess that evades me on a regular basis.
In John 16: 20-22, as Jesus was talking to his disciples, he tells them, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” They must have wondered when that was going to happen. Jesus reminds them there is reason for joy, and that the joy that wouldn’t be taken away is the Spirit.
Jesus had told them, “I am with you always — even until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) The Spirit that dwells with us is with us until the end of the age. And our joy cannot be taken away — the Spirit cannot be taken away. Which gives us reason to rejoice and be joyful each day knowing that we are not alone — that God has not left us alone.—
The coming of the Spirit also came with a new responsibility and a way to fulfill that responsibility. “As the Father has sent me, so send I you.” Jesus charges his disciples - Jesus charges the church -- with going out into the world and sharing the good news of God’s love with the world. Many people have asked over the ages, “What is the purpose of my life?”, “Why am I here?” - Here is the answer — you are here to share God’s love with others. In any way you can, by any means you can, as long as you can.
The term “evangelism” is a term that we as Episcopalians tend to shy away from — that is something those “other faith groups” do, but we are under the same command as others — “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel,” and we do this with the power, joy and peace of the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he left his disciples and he left the church, with a task — to go into the world and preach the Gospel. We do this in many different ways, but everything we do as a parish should be focused on one of a few things,
1. Growing us up as disciples (studies etc. that help us become more like Christ)
2. Fellowship, and
3. Reaching out to the world around us — letting others know what God has done for us and how the love of God has changed us.
The text from 1 Corinthians today reminds us that while the body has many members, we are all members of the same body and all are given the same Spirit. All have different gifts — but all belong to the same body, gifted by the same Spirit.
Study after study has shown that we all gravitate to those who think like us, those who are in same socio-economic circles as us, those with whom we share similar culture. We find ourselves uncomfortable and judgmental when we are around those who differ from us or have a different post of view. We need to remember that we all are members of the same body.
The Holy Spirit is wind and flame: it can be comforting, like a campfire or a gentle breeze — or it can be too hot, destructive, and uncomfortable. The same is true of church.
We are told, but “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.” They weren’t divided at that moment.
We are here together. You are part of us, the church, gifted with the Holy Spirit and your own gifts. You have experiences that no one else here has. You can do things no one else can do. And it won’t always be easy, but we’re here, and we’re together. The Holy Spirit has descended upon us all again, making us unique, and making us one. Let us value one another, recognizing the different gifts God has given us and working together to help spread His love to those around us. Amen.