Blow Spirit, blow!
The Day of Pentecost, May 23, 2010
(Acts 2:1-21 with Romans 8:14-17 and John 14:8-17,25-27 in the b.g.
I invite you to take a deep, cleansing breath. Please do that again! What does this mean? Do we take the ability to breathe for granted? So often throughout every day and every night of our life we do. At least we do until and unless we, or someone we love, gets the wind knocked out of them, literally or figuratively. Only when our ability to breathe is interrupted and then restored do we become deeply thankful, appreciative of breath itself as a gift. As we breathe we are gifted with the ability to move and think, to have "our" being.
So I ask you, on a deeper, more encompassing level what does this mean? Do we see that this gift of breath points us to so much more?
In some ways it's like those early disciples living in the afterglow of Jesus' ascension. Their recent lives had been roller coaster rides. Only weeks before they had come into Jerusalem. On the day of their entry the crowds had been cheering FOR JESUS! People had even been disrobing, strewing branches along his path as Jesus rode along. Many had been shouting towards Jesus, "Hosanna!" (this means God help us, God save us). The atmosphere that day was one of excitement, great anticipation, greater even than if the Canucks had won the Stanley Cup. Can you imagine that?
But then only a few short hours later, Jesus had been snatched from the disciples' midst. He had been publicly, horrifically, executed. To add insult to their great injury – they themselves had done nothing to stop it.
But just when they were in the depths of despair, down and out, some of the women and then later even, Peter, had told them that Jesus wasn't in the grave anymore. Some of the disciples now believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead. But others doubted. Who could blame them? Had anyone ever been raised from the dead, three days after the fact?
While they were wondering about all this, Jesus himself appears to them. He breathes on them. They receive His Spirit.
This doesn't mean that everything was or is easy. In today's Gospel we hear that all the early believers were gathered in one place. Maybe they are still afraid. Maybe they are wondering what to do next. Maybe there are still many that doubt. Whatever the case they certainly haven't spread out. They are not yet caring for the world. They are not yet telling everyone or even anyone else besides themselves that Jesus is alive. They just don't have any life within them.
But then this "wind" rushes in. Now something beyond their understanding, even beyond their ability to aptly describe is happening. God's own Spirit has come among them. Now God's Spirit is moving in them and through them. Those disciples begin to speak in languages that they didn't know –that they still don't understand. But others can understand what they are saying. And what they are now testifying to is God's great deeds of power. Some who are drawn to hear and see them are amazed, wondering aloud, "What does this mean?" But others in that same place, sneer at such reality, deeming it impossible. Grasping for some explanation to discredit what they hear declared about God from these simple disciples, those who sneer themselves assert, "These people must be drunk!" To be sure, they are under the influence of something or someone.
It disappoints me that the would be followers of Jesus so often want to be in one place – to stay among themselves. In some ways I suppose that it isn't surprising. Part of our DNA seems to be that "birds of a feather" flock together. We tend to be more comfortable among people we already are familiar with, people we can somehow identify with.
But God doesn't seem content to leave us this way. Because Jesus lives and loves his followers are moved to live and love. They are to share His love, His ability to bring life out of death, to work for reconciliation between enemies, to bring new courage and hope to those who are captivated by fear, hatred and jealousy so that they may be able to generously love others with courage. Nor are such happenings only historical, realities that have been documented in the past.
On January 12, 2010 there was a tragedy that resulted from an earthquake near Haiti. Haiti is a land that has been marked by tragedy caused by both external and internal forces for some time. But in this latest tragedy people all over the world have been moved to care. And even our little church of less than 190,000 people have raised over a million dollars. It has been done in so many ways: from personal donations to gifts of time and talents. And our Canadian government at times has been shamed into matching this compassion. Thanks be to God. Not that we can't and shouldn't do more – particularly in terms of advocacy and debt forgiveness for a country such as Haiti – but much is beginning to happen. And so out of much that was bad – out of an earthquake that brought with it seemingly only destructive forces, has the church and many other peoples been moved to care, to love, to give even sacrificially.
God's Spirit can move in many ways. Do we see God's Spirit working in our lives? Do we sense God's Spirit stirring up faith in and among us, pushing us out of our comfort zones, beyond our futile quest for self-dependence, towards greater dependence and trust in God? Are we ever ourselves moved to speak unashamedly and unapologetically of God's great deeds of power?
I tell you one more story. At my 10-year high school reunion now nearly 30 years ago, I was feeling quite badly. Almost everyone else seemed paired up. Many of the people seemed happily married or at least with someone else that cared. Being single, I felt all alone. As the meal ended and the time for the dance drew near, I decided to head off home to my parents' place. I was then serving as a young pastor in a rural parish where the people loved me very much, where I felt strongly called – but yet was also desperately lonely. Now, no one else knew of my loneliness at that high school reunion.
But as I got up to leave Ed, a classmate whom I had casually known for 2 years in high school and hadn't seen since, approached me. He said, "Tim, can I talk to you for a minute?" I really didn't want to talk to him. I only wanted to leave. But he was polite, and after all, I was a pastor. He did know that about me. At the very least I should hear what he had to say. We walked outside to escape some of the noise, to find some privacy.
When I had known Ed in high school, he would have been one of the last people to ever say anything about God or faith. So I had no idea what he might want to talk to me about. He began. "You know that I was in law school, right?" I had heard that from a mutual acquaintance. So, I nodded. "You knew that Dawn and I got married and have 2 little kids?" I knew they were married. I guessed they might have kids. So, I nodded again, still longing to just leave. "Did you know that while I was in law school I became involved in a pyramid scheme, that I had been discovered, thrown into jail, and subsequently kicked out of law school?" Now I shook my head, no. No, I didn't know any of that. I was shocked. I began to feel sorry for him.
Yet, he smiled as he proceeded. "While I was in jail, some Christians came to visit me. I thought that they were crazy talking about the love of Jesus – and how I could trust him."
Now I was listening more intently wondering, where was all this heading.
Ed was now speaking more quickly. "I thought they were crazy – until they fed my wife and kids for a number of weeks. They kept visiting me the whole time I was in jail and even as my trial proceeded. And Tim, through them I came to believe in Jesus. And now, even though I don't do it very well, I try to listen to God. While we were having supper tonight, the Spirit of God, told me to come to talk to you. That Spirit told me that you are lonely. And although most of the people in our graduating high school class, might think I am crazy for listening to that Spirit, I thought you would understand. Anyway, the Spirit told me to tell you, that you don't have to do it all by yourself. Trust the people in your church! Share you loneliness with them. Let them help you. And let God help you!"
With that, he smiled, thanked me for listening to him and went back inside to join his wife and the rest of our classmates.
I was stunned. But, you see the Spirit of God is alive and well. I should have known that. I need to be reminded of this, when I am tempted to try to depend only on myself.
Just as the Holy Spirit empowered those disciples long ago – to get up, to overcome their fear, to share with others the reality that death and all its forces are not all there is, that God in Jesus loves us and cares for the whole creation overcoming death and its forces – so, we too, are to listen for that Spirit, to be open to the Spirit moving in and among us.
At times the Spirit of God may come as a mighty wind. At other times the Spirit of God may come in the still small voice within us, or through a person or events that we could never have anticipated or expected. Whatever the case, the Spirit of God is alive and well, desiring to bring the good news of God's self-emptying love through Jesus to all people and all creation.
As that occurs to us and among us, we are faced with choices. We can sneer and think that those who speak to us or love us in such a way are "crazy" or even "drunk". Or, we can honestly ask, "What does this mean?" Be careful before you ask because God might just show you!
May God give us ears to hear, minds to think, open, loving hearts and new life through the life-giving Spirit to share with others of God's powerful deeds. This is good news, a gift from God's own self, intended for the well being of all people and all creation. Amen.