June 4, 2017 Day of Pentecost Acts 2:1-21
It’s interesting as we began reading
through Genesis a few weeks ago that we’ve found those stories aren’t to be
limited to a literal historical level but actually speak at a number of
levels. There are deliberate contrasts
and contradictions and structures all over the place.
For Confirmation and the Pentecost
holiday we’ve returned to the normal lectionary texts, but we find the same
sort of thing here. We read two
different accounts of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples. In Acts we have the famous scene of the
Spirit coming in dramatic form with wind and fire and speaking in tongues. Then in John’s gospel we have a much quieter
scene, the resurrected Jesus simply breathes on the disciples and says,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Of course it is easy to synchronize
these texts, saying that both happened and one was quieter and more private
while the other was noisy and public.
But let’s not rush down that road too fast.
A couple weeks ago when I was with my
colleagues as we regularly gather to look over the Bible readings for the
coming Sundays my one colleague admitted, “I have a hard time literally
believing the Acts text about Pentecost.”
Perhaps you’re shocked to hear this kind of question from among pastors,
but it’s the sort of thing that happens all the time. And it can be good to admit such skepticism.
It is good to admit such skepticism
because it is the truth of what is in our hearts. How often have you heard the rush of a mighty
wind combined with speaking in other languages and tongues of fire appearing on
people’s heads? (Actually, don’t answer
that because it probably means you should be enrolled in a drug rehab program!)
The truth is, it doesn’t happen. As for what really happened that day
centuries ago when the followers of Jesus were gathered to celebrate the Jewish
harvest festival of Pentecost, there is no way to say. You can neither prove nor disprove the story
in Acts. But what is for certain is that
something happened. Something happened
that this bunch of uneducated nobodies began to effectively spread the word of
God’s love through Jesus. Somehow this
troubled bunch, all of whom fled at Jesus arrest, began to become more bold and
powerful in their faith. And almost all of
them were martyred for it.
People aren’t willing to be martyred
for a lie. Their faith was not a lie,
nor was their experience of the risen Jesus.
Many skeptics have suggested that.
No, something very real happened in
their lives. And on this Pentecost
Sunday we realize the same things happen in our lives. Sometimes it feels like God is close and we
are powerful and capable. Anything is
possible. And sometimes it feels like
God is distant and we are abandoned.
Sometimes the quiet, almost insignificant, coming of the Holy Spirit as
it does in John’s gospel is far more reflective of our lives.
Today we celebrate the Rite of
Confirmation. Several of our youth have
completed the educational and experiential requirements of the confirmation
program and they are ready to make public affirmation of their baptisms. I would be lying to them if I said that when I
lay my hands on them they will feel a sudden jolt of energy that will stay with
them for the rest of their lives. No, I
doubt that will happen. The Spirit does
not work in that way. God usually works
in smaller, quieter ways.
They should not expect their lives of
faith to be one great event after another.
And they should not sit around waiting for signs from God in the form of
massive sounds or tongues of fire or dramatic events. Much more like John’s gospel describes it, it
will be a gentle nudge, a small decision, a pattern of small choices that set
the direction of life that will be the working of the Spirit.
If this were a commencement speech it
would be typical to say, “Go out and use your powers to change the world!” But this is not a commencement speech. It is a sermon on Pentecost. And we find ourselves saying take time to
listen to the Spirit. Listen to your
heart. And when there is a choice
between what is easy and what is right always choose what is right. A life of faith is not about dramatic
moments. It is about small daily
decisions made in the knowledge of being a child of God.
Our faith faces many challenges every
day. In saying this I think I am getting
at the biggest one. Faith is not
seriously troubled by science. It is not
seriously disrupted by bad news or overt evil.
It is challenged by small, subtle things; seemingly insignificant
things.
I think the biggest challenge the
faith of our confirmands will face today is the same challenge we all face, no
matter what age we are. That challenge
can be summed up in the word, “affluenza.”
Having safety and comforts sounds like
a great thing, and of course it is in many ways. But it also has its downfalls. Jesus repeatedly warned the wealthy not to
trust in their wealth, for their wealth gave them an artificial sense of
security.
Today with our affluence we have the
option of being in community with each other, or not. That is not the case for everyone, and
certainly not in our past.
I like to use the example of the rural
farming area in which I grew up. When I
was a kid I would hear stories from old farmers about how they used to
cooperate, because they had too. No one
farmer was big enough or wealthy enough to own his own complete fleet of farm
machinery. No, one farmer would own a
bailer. Another would own a combine. Yet another would own a corn picker. My one grandfather used to barter his corn
picker in exchange for having his hay bailed and his small grains harvested.
We plant a lot of potatoes in our
garden project every year. We put 150
pounds of seed potatoes in just two weeks ago.
We buy the seed potatoes every year and we have a number of varieties to
choose from. I remember my grandfather
talking about how neighbors used to trade seed potatoes with each other. It kept up genetic diversity and led to a
better harvest for all. They cooperated
because they had to. Community was not
an option for them. They had to get
along, or figure out how to get along despite their differences.
Of course we have community today
too. There is community around us in our
neighborhoods. Community at school. Community at work. Community among all the parents sitting on
the sidelines of their kids sporting events.
But all of this community is voluntary.
It is transitory. It is not
essential. We can opt in our opt out at
we choose.
Christianity is rooted in real and
deep community. It is rooted in a
community of people who recognize their need for God’s presence and a desire to
share in God’s work. But affluent people
don’t need that. It is no wonder
churches struggle to evangelize today, although many people try to figure it
out. It is simply that we don’t need
each other. We can afford to be
separate. That lack of necessity can be
our downfall.
The biggest challenge to faith is that
we don’t need it. We can turn to God and
turn to our baptismal vows and think, “I’m good. I got this God. I don’t need you.” And we can fool ourselves into thinking it is
true. But we are not trusting God. We are trusting in ourselves; ultimately a
very shaky thing to trust in.
If
you wait until you’re in over your head to turn to God, well then it’s too
late. Plus you’ve missed the joy along
the way.The often quiet voice of the Spirit is powerful. It is moving and shaping the world as we speak. And it is inviting us to be a part of its work. Let us not lose sight of that, and instead find joy in its presence. May God give us all the faith to know what we need, and the faith to know where to find it.
