Loving God, you continue to pour out your Holy Spirit on your people, empowering us to share the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.  Help us to continue to grow in faith and in trust, granting us the vision to be able to see your Spirit at work; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Today we celebrate Pentecost -- one of the three major festivals on the church calendar.  Yet, Pentecost is treated quite differently from the other two.  You don’t see all of the stores decorated for Pentecost.  You don’t see crowds of people making an extra effort to come and worship because it is Pentecost.  However, as one of my colleagues jokingly pointed out this week, this year, Canada has declared Pentecost to be a holiday weekend!

    And so, why is it, do you think, that we treat Pentecost as far less important than Christmas or Easter? [possible responses - time of year; Holy Spirit harder to understand; no presents]  The truth is that, regardless of our reasons, the coming of the Holy Spirit is just as important as the birth of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus. For, it is the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of Jesus - who continues to be at work here and now.

    In order to help us to think about just what it is that the Holy Spirit does, consider Acts chapter 2.  The very first thing that happens when the Holy Spirit comes is that people are able to hear the good news about Jesus in a language that they can understand.  And so, rather than Jesus himself, who would have spoken Syriac-Aramaic and Hebrew, we now have the twelve apostles, who have been given the ability to speak in other languages that they did not previously know.  This is the gift of speaking in tongues, which quite possibly scares some people today.  Yet, it was and continues to be a gift of the Spirit -- originally given so that everybody could hear and understand the good news about Jesus.

    The second thing that happens when the Holy Spirit comes is that Peter is suddenly able to preach.  Peter has never preached a sermon in his life.  He’s a fisherman by trade, and largely uneducated.  However, on the day of Pentecost, Peter stands up and addresses the crowd, explaining to them what is going on and who Jesus is.  Peter quotes from the Scriptures in order to support what he is saying, beginning with the prophet Joel.  That’s as far as the Second Reading that we heard today goes.  However, after that, Peter continues his message, quoting from the Psalms in order to communicate to the people that Jesus, whom they crucified, is both Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36).

    The third thing that happens is, in some ways, even more amazing.  For, when Peter preaches, the people actually listen and respond!  They hear Peter’s message, and they are cut to the heart, and they believe what Peter has said.  And so, in response to the message, they repent of their sins, turn toward God, and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.  And that day -- on the day of Pentecost -- about 3000 people put their faith in Jesus and are baptized.

    Do you begin to see why the coming of the Holy Spirit might be important?  While it is true that there would be no salvation without the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, it is also true that without the Holy Spirit, nobody would know about it.  It is the Spirit who gives the gift of speaking to others in their own language.  It is the Spirit who gives the gifts of preaching or teaching.  It is the Spirit who opens people’s hearts and who gives the gift of faith.

    This same Spirit continues to be at work – in us, among us and through us.  I’m wondering how many who are here today have experienced the Holy Spirit working in you or through you. [responses?  Briefly, what happened?] In at least some cases, it’s not until we’re forced to step out on a limb a little bit that we learn to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us.

    There’s one experience that comes to mind for me that happened when I was still in high school.  I had written a story that I wanted to give to a friend who did not believe in Jesus.  It was a story of faith, and this particular friend did not believe in anything.  I remember trying to write a note to go with the story – a note to explain why I was giving it to her.  However, every time I tried to write something, it just didn’t sound right.  Finally, I stopped and prayed and said, “Okay, God.  You write it.”  After that the words flowed, and I was finally able to write a note that made some sense.

    I believe that this was an experience of the Holy Spirit at work, and there have certainly been many times since when the Spirit has given me the words that are needed – whether the words that need to be written or the words that need to be spoken in prayer.  I should also add that I would never dare to preach without the power of the Holy Spirit.  For only the Spirit can actually speak to people’s hearts.

    This year, I cannot let Pentecost go by without showing you at least a couple of pictures from Jerusalem.  The most vivid picture I have comes from the Church of the Dormition in Jerusalem.  The twelve apostles are depicted with Mary, the mother of Jesus, as the Spirit descends looking like tongues of fire.  In icons, Mary often symbolizes the church, for it is the church who carries Jesus into the world.  It is also the Holy Spirit who continues to work in and through the church.

    I’ve also included a picture that comes from an open field close to the Church of the Dormition. This is the remains of a mikveh - or ritual bath.  When you think about 3000 people being baptized all on the same day, a source of water would have been needed.  It is thought that this mikveh, and others nearby, may have been used for those baptisms.

    Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for us today is to see and to believe that the Holy Spirit continues to be at work both in the church and in our world.  The power of the Spirit did not end with the book of Acts, or even with the New Testament.  Instead, the Spirit continues to touch hearts and change lives.  The Spirit continues to give gifts of healing and preaching and prophesying and faith and speaking in tongues.  The Spirit continues to produce fruit like love and joy and peace.  The Spirit continues to teach us and to pray for us and to pray through us and to show us the truth.

    May our hearts be opened as we gather together for worship today, ready to receive the Holy Spirit at all times and expecting to see the Holy Spirit at work.  For the resurrected Jesus continues to be active among us, providing all the gifts that are needed in order to further the work of God’s kingdom.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

The Day of Pentecost (C)                            Acts 2:1-21
May 19, 2013
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2013 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved