June 12, 2011
Acts 2: 1-11 + Psalm 104 + 1 Corinthians 12: 3-7, 12-13 + John 20: 19-23
Hundreds of years ago, Saint Ambrose stood up in the ambo in the great Cathedral of Milan and said: “Remember that you have received … the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and strength, of knowledge and godliness, the spirit of holy fear. Preserve what you have received. God has sealed you; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has given you the guarantee of the Spirit in your heart.” How I wish he were today to say it again. Perhaps the power, the dignity, the sanctity, and the influence of the man who baptized Saint Augustine could convince you of this truth.
There is something terribly wrong in the experience of our faith and the living witness of our faith when these gifts go unnoticed, unused, and either forgotten or ignored. Ambrose says, “Remember that you have received…” Paul writes to the Corinthians affirming “that we were all given to drink of one Spirit.” Then the experience reported in Acts of the Apostles does not suggest that only the the people in that upper room possessed the Spirit. Everyone who heard them was filled with the Spirit is the suggestion Luke proposes. So, I am wondering what is it with us?
The whole purpose and focus for the life of Jesus Christ was to give, send, and fill us with the same Spirit he shared with His Father. If we believe that, where is the evidence, and why are truly spirit-filled people so remarkable, exceptional, and rare?
I am beginning to think that the root of this question lies in a serious misunderstanding of what is going on here today. A show of hands, which I will not request might prove my thought. Too many think that Pentecost is a celebration of an historical event. Too many people think that Pentecost is about the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles. Too many people think that Pentecost is the “birthday of the church”. Well, I would like to push you just a little further and a little deeper than those shallow ideas.
We have to become what we celebrate. We have to wake up, stir up, build up the Spirit we have been given. Throughout the ages of life in that Spirit there are certain signs of that Spirit which we have begun to call “gifts.” We have them. When are we going to start to use them and enjoy, or rejoice in the consequences of a Spirit lived life? John and Luke both put before us something to think about. Luke in his typical dramatic way has a big show: wind and fire. John in his more subtle way simply has Jesus breath on the disciples and speak of gifts he leaves us: peace and forgiveness.
A Spirit filled people will be using these gifts, and the use of them will bring about more wonderful things and a more wonder-filled life than we could ever have imagined.
But look at us. We don’t treasure wisdom. The wise among us are often looked down upon and ridiculed by this age. Wisdom rarely makes money. It does not sell stuff, and is rarely rewarded. If given the choice of being wise or clever, most people would, in their hearts, rather be clever and call it “being smart.” There are not many people in this world who are understanding. Now there are many who want to be understood, but they are not willing to realize that to be understood by another you first have to be understanding. It is a quality of compassion always found in the wise.
This gift sometimes called “fear of the Lord” is really about respect. It’s in short supply in this age. A lot of people want it, but they don’t give it; and it’s not always about respect between people. There is something else deeper in this gift that has to do with respect for life and respect for this planet and all created things.
Courage too is a gift not in great supply. While we may and should admire the courage of many who respond to the call of defense, their service might not be needed had some courage been exercised earlier on the part of decision makers in the face of injustice. Courage is not always about power and might. The courage to speak up and stand up when something is wrong is sign of the Spirit. The courage to use one’s life to make a difference in the lives of others, to do something different, to dream of more than a fast car, big house, and big investments is in short supply. The Vocation crises in our church bears witness to the fact that this gift is going unused.
The Strength that the Holy Spirit brings has nothing to do with the strength of the economy, how much you can lift, or how much influence you can throw around. It has to do with the ability to sway human hearts and persevere in times of trial.
If Peace and Forgiveness are what the risen Christ breaths into us, where is it? How can it be that there is still after all these years since he did the breathing we are still at war, still find families and friends, tribes, races, and nations hostile and hateful? Does the gift of Forgiveness not work, or has it simply not been used? We might wonder about that.
If this is truly the Birthday of the Church, then there are a lot of Birthday presents to be opened and enjoyed. I suspect our problem lies in the fact that we keep on waiting for something to come that has already been given, waiting for something to happen that we have failed to do ourselves. Since that “first day of the week” which is a code message for “the beginning” every generation has both the privilege and the responsibility to acknowledge and accept the gift of the Spirit so that the peace and forgiveness left by Jesus can be available to all. To celebrate this feast, we must be makers of peace and forgivers, wise, courageous, strong, respectful, and holy.
We must become what we celebrate.