Acts 2:1-21 (NRSV)
When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
- `In the last days it will be, God declares,
- that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
- and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
- and your young men shall see visions,
- and your old men shall dream dreams.
- Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
- in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
- and they shall prophesy.
- And I will show portents in the heaven above
- and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
- The sun shall be turned to darkness
- and the moon to blood,
- before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.
- Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'
Psalm 104:25-35, 37 (BCP., p.736)
Romans 8:22-27 (NRSV)
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
John 15: 26-27, 16:4b-15 (NRSV)
Jesus said to his disciples, "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.
"I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But, now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you."
Blog Reflection
This past January a professor from Luther Seminary in St. Paul by the name of Eric D. Barreto gave a very informative lecture. It was part of a series on racism and our response to it as Christians. Professor Barreto spoke about those languages that the first Apostles were speaking on Pentecost. As we read the account in Acts, The Holy Spirit impacted the Church so that the message of the Gospel was heard in the languages of everyone within hearing distance. Professor Barreto then asked his audience this question. Is the Church of today speaking the various languages of those who are listening to what Christians have to say?
As Christians who are Caucasian, well educated, wealthy, living without much persecution, straight and male dominated; we have become so comfortable with thinking we know it all. Many of the English settlers who came to the shores of the United States felt that they had the answers to improve the lives of the Native Americans who were already settled. Long before that, there was the assumption that those who lived in Africa just couldn't make anything of their lives because of the color of their skin, their living conditions and their religious practices. What contribution did white Christian men make to improve such societies? Slavery, the demolition of those cultures and documents such as the Doctrine of Discovery. Others included offering "inspiring" Christian worship that left many illiterate and without the means of communication and/or interpreting in a language they understood. Much of this came about, because Christians assumed they had the whole truth about Christ and the Church based on what they understood to be truth.
On this Pentecost Sunday, Jesus invites us to the experience of those first Apostles to open ourselves to being led into a fuller understanding of truth. A truth that is never complete and always evolving and open to being led into all truth by the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that those first Disciples were limited by their culture and surrounding environment that they could not possibly understand the fullness of truth. He knows how limited we are now as we learn to confront the racism, sexism, heterosexism and the neglect of the poor and immigrants we are facing today. Jesus does not leave us in our present state of mind to just "take it as it is" and leave it. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit here and now to lead us into a deeper truth of God and one another, so that the Church may grow and evolve. The Church needs to let go of the dark and horrible images of God that continue to tell our children to be afraid for their lives. If they were to wake up one day and realize that they are questioning their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression, or political position on climate change or health care; Lord only knows what their parents or grandparents might say.
The Holy Spirit prays for the Church now more than ever. We face a time in which the Church continues to be divided by the languages of prejudice, elitism, and legislating things like "religious freedom" to allow discrimination on the sole basis of religion. Not just any religion, but only the conservative branch of Christianity that breeds fear, hate and misunderstanding in the Name of Christ. The kind that labels marriage equality as a threat to the family; even as thousands of LGBT families and couples nurture homes for adopted children that are happy and healthy. The type of Christianity that calls immigration reform "amnesty" as if everyone who is Latino or Eurpean, etc. only seeks a better life for crime. The same Christianity that blames women for being raped yet opposes abortion, health care, and job training for all women.
The Holy Spirit prays that the Church will be guided into the truth that Jesus is about compassion, love, inclusion, justice and hope for all people. The Holy Spirit longs for a Church that is about all of us being Baptized into a covenant relationship with God and one another that seeks peace and justice for all persons, and works to respect the dignity of every human person. If Christians will only listen for the Holy Spirit's call within their hearts individually and collectively, the Church will truly be a house of prayer for all people.
Amen.
Prayers
Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life
to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy
Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the
preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the
earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen. (Collect for Pentecost. The Book of Common Prayer, p. 227).
O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior,
the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the
great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away
all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us
from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body
and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith,
one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all
of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth
and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and
one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. (Prayer for the Unity of the Church. The Book of Common Prayer, p. 818).
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