God’s Breath/ Wind/ Spirit

Acts 2:1-21; John 20:19-23

Today, we celebrate the coming of God’s Holy Spirit. As we have read from Acts and John’s Gospel, the Lectionary has been preparing us for this moment. Let’s start by remembering that the words ruach in Hebrew and pneuma in Greek have multiple meanings. They both mean wind, breath, and spirit.

This is how Genesis begins: When God began to create the heavens and the earth— the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters. God’s ruach, God’s wind, God’s breath, God’s spirit swept over the deep at the beginning of creation.

In Jerusalem 50 days after the resurrection, and 10 days after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, God’s wind/ breath/ spirit sweeps into the house where the disciples and followers were gathered. From there God’s ruach rushes out over the Jewish tourists gathered in the streets. It creates some chaos, into which Peter preaches to calm folks down.

The disciples and followers mingle with the crowd and begin to speak to the people. Pentecostal Christians believe this is the gift of speaking in tongues, glossolalia. But it is more a gift of hearing. The disciples speak in Aramaic with Galilean accents. But the people hear in their native tongues, in Cretan, Cyprian, Libyan, and Egyptian. This was simultaneous translation without the need for UN earpieces.

This is why I asked Rachel, Wilson, Phil, and Andy to read their portions one after another instead of simultaneously. If you understand the languages any of them spoke, you understood what they read.

The result is that thousands believe what they hear and are baptized that day. We find it hard to accept that so many believed and responded in such a short time, maybe because we doubt the power of God and God’s Spirit. We may even be uncomfortable with this chaotic moment, with the uproar the activity of the Holy Spirit can cause.

Northern European Lutherans celebrate this day with some red flowers and some red flags waving and then move on to the quieter approach of John 20. It’s even hard to find music in our hymnals that give the Spirit her due in excitement and passion.

… The Lectionary gives us the John 20 reading for a reason, so we might as well go there. For weeks, the readings from John have included Jesus’ promises that he would send the Advocate, another name for the Holy Spirit.

In John’s version, Jesus appears to the disciples and followers gathered behind locked doors the evening of the day of his resurrection, a few hours after his conversation with Mary Magdalene in the garden. The disciples are stunned to see Jesus, and afraid, so Jesus reassures them. “Shalom. Peace be with you.”

He then gives them a pep talk, continuing his thoughts from that long discourse during the last supper, which was just a few nights ago for the disciples. “I am sending you out to do as I have taught you. Reach out to people with God’s inclusive love. Love them, as I have loved you.”

“And,” he says as he breathes on them, “receive the Holy Spirit.” We can think about this moment this way. It’s more than Jesus blowing out the candles on his resurrection cake. As the disciples take their next breath, they receive the Holy Spirit. She is drawn into them and dwells inside them. They are now filled with God’s breath/ wind/ Spirit.

Jesus then gives the disciples and followers the power to forgive sins. This doesn’t mean a blanket permission slip against any sin, or that Peter holds the keys to heaven or hell. It refers to the sin of unbelief, which is an important concept in John’s gospel. If people have said before they don’t believe, but now they do, they can be forgiven and welcomed into the flock. If they continue to deny Jesus, they continue to be unbelievers – sinners.

But the goal is to open people’s hearts and love them enough that they want to belong to the flock. The Holy Spirit empowers the disciples to carry out this ministry of spreading the word in love.

… You may have noticed that I speak of the Holy Spirit often, because we don’t do anything without the working of the Spirit. Martin Luther said in the small catechism, “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me,” enlightened and sanctified me, and given me gifts to use for God’s purposes.

Today, we have two very different stories of the coming of the Holy Spirit. It’s possible they are both true with Jesus closest followers receiving the Spirit in a quiet moment right away, followed by the outpouring of the Spirit onto the crowd 50 days later.

However you have come to know the Holy Spirit, through a momentous moment with a sudden insight and calling, or over a lifetime of being drawn closer and closer to God, or a little of both, you are filled with God’s Spirit. You breathe her in all day, every day, and breathe her out on others, all day, every day, whenever you reach out to others with love.

This week, I hope you will ponder the role of God’s Holy Spirit/ breath /wind in your life. When have you felt urged to act or speak up despite your normal tendency to remain unknown and silent? When have you known you were making the right choice because God was guiding you? I know it’s possible for us to misinterpret such moments, but we know they were God’s Spirit/ breath /wind moments when we look back on them. As always, I love to hear your stories.

Amen