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
