June 8, 2003
Acts 2:1-11 + Galatians 5:16-25 + John 15:26-27, 16:12-15
Most of us take the account of Pentecost as Luke tells it as the central text of this day. Visual and sensate as we are, tongues of fire, descending doves, and a mighty wind is easy to deal with. Artists through the ages have made it so. There isn’t anyone among us, I suspect who could not close their eyes and visualize what Luke speaks of. We have also come to expect that spirit filled assemblies are highly animated, demonstrative, and enthusiastic. We have rallies before contests to build up the “spirit”. The louder they are, the more energetic they become leads us to judge them to be “spirit-filled”. Yet, an American lynch mob or an urban gang rally could be pretty spirit filled too. A rock concert in Lloyd Noble Center is too.
At the same time, a lone person kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, or a devout parent lighting a candle with prayer for a troubled child is without doubt filled with the spirit. A community of monks or nuns filing quietly into a monastery church raising their voices in song is just as much a vehicle of the spirit as turning up the decibels with electric thumping that you can here five blocks away. The test of the Spirit’s presence is not fire, wind, doves, noise, wild enthusiasm, physical animation, or high-pitched emotions. The test of the Spirit’s presence among us is whether Jesus Christ is made known. That does not require extra ordinary phenomena like speaking in tongues or courageous missionary zeal. The people most filled with the Holy Spirit in my life, the people who have most clearly and convincingly borne evidence to the presence of Jesus Christ have been anything but loud, pushy, zealous enthusiasts. On the contrary, they have been people who forgive and bring peace; who mere presence or hospitality brings comfort; whose words are filled with compassion never reproach. They are people who suffer various disappointments and tragedies with confident courage, whose prayer is steady and unselfish. Their compliments replace the complaints and criticism of others.
The central text on Pentecost Day is not Acts of the Apostles. It is the Gospel. The words of Jesus about the Spirit, about what this “Advocate”, whom the Father sends will do is what matters today. “HE WILL TESTIFY ON MY BEHALF”, says Jesus. In other words, more plainly, he STAND IN for Jesus. That is what an Advocate is – someone who knows the part, who speaks and acts in the place of someone else.
This Gospel comes from the Farewell Discourse. He is leaving, but only to send this world a greater presence, one not limited to a single body present in one place at one time. Luke’s testimony is to the fulfillment of that promise. It is not a description of the event. Luke’s testimony is that bumbling, doubt-filled, slow to believe, very common fishermen, tax collectors, and sinners can make known the presence of Christ and realize the promised signs of the Kingdom of God. It does not mean they speak in tongues or can give great orations to huge crowds. It means that when anyone as been around them they will know they have been touched by Jesus.
In this assembly today, there is Spirit, plenty of it, and we don’t need to make a spectacle of our selves to know it. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control: signs of the Spirit. I’ll take those over tongues of fire and a mighty wind any day. As Paul says: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.”