A Moving Spirit - 6-5-2022
A Moving Spirit
John 14:8-17, 25-27; Acts 2:1-21
John 14:8-17, 25-27
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. ”If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. ”I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
Act 2:1-21
When the day of Pentecost had come, they 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.’
Prayer - Bring it on, Holy and Moving Spirit. Prod us to speak up and speak out for you and your Lordship. Give us the right words to say when we are given the opportunity to share God’s love by your movement in our hearts. Make us unafraid when our testimony is resisted or ridiculed by the world. Inspire us to say what we know: that you are determined to have your good news heard by all that all might hear about who you are and what you are up to in the world. Amen.
I can imagine the 120 folks gathered together on that first Pentecost Sunday some 2000 years ago didn’t have a clue. As they gathered to hear the disciple Peter speak, I’m not sure Peter even knew what was going to happen during those few moments in time. The descent of the Holy and Moving Spirit is described as ‘a violent wind’ that sweeps down suddenly, violently upon the assembled believers. Next, those upon whom that Moving Spirit has settled, men and women alike begin to speak in ‘other languages.’ They are speaking various languages and though it was initially perceived as frightening and overwhelming, it was perhaps the birthing of something new and exciting.
As we recall this rich story of Pentecost 2000 years later, what does the Moving Spirit of God bring to us as a people of faith? Churches all over the world have been reshaped by the pandemic. Many churches today are struggling to reconnect, to be relevant post pandemic when people across all faiths stopped showing up each Sunday. So, of it is energy and excitement that we want or get as a gift of Pentecost, God knows we need it. If we aren’t talking about stewardship and how to ensure we have enough money to pay the bills during these challenging times, we are talking about repairing the roof, repaving the parking lot, painting the sanctuary, or wondering if the preacher is heretical or not. And when we aren’t bound up in those disputes, we’re trying to face the staggering problems in the world like the war in the Ukraine, rising gas and food prices, politics and who can play a particular sport or not based on their gender. And honestly, it can weigh us down. Wouldn’t it be nice to lifted up and have the life of the church flying like a flag, snapping in the powerful wind of the Spirit, with energy and excitement? And so we wonder, what kind of church have we become and can we become a church that doesn’t get weighted down?
On that day of Pentecost some 2000 years ago, Jesus band of disciples were discouraged, hiding out to a degree, uncertain of what life will be like now that he has taken off for heaven. It wasn’t too long ago that Jesus triumphantly to a degree entered Jerusalem, but by the end of the week, those very same disciples were disintegrating as a group, emotionally and spiritually devastated as they watched what the civil and religious authorities did to Jesus, and they quickly became more concerned with saving their own skin than following Jesus all the way to the cross. Miracles upon miracles, Jesus was raised from the dead on that Easter morn but his message of leaving had them worried once again, even with the promise of the coming and moving Spirit.
Fire and wind and frightened Galileans speaking persuasively in many tongues were dramatic signs that God was doing something new that just might transform the lives of those present, and far beyond, in time and place. Maybe it was a little frightening, something people would want to explain away, or to contain in cynical comments that blamed it all on drunkenness. God’s moving Spirit had been on display before, but this was something new and exciting and renewing for a ground of friends and followers of Jesus.
That moving Spirit that drew that little band of disciples out into the world also shaped the community – that it, it created a new kind of church. Prior to that time, church was about righteousness and holiness and following the rules to ensure one’s place in the structure of the community. But Jesus turned the historical status quo church upside down – his life and ministry was about servanthood and meeting people where they were and with a little bit of grace taking them somewhere new. This new way of life was grounded in seeking justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God at our side.
On that Pentecost, the moving Spirit of God rushed in and empowered regular everyday people to do astounding things – to communicate effectively with one another, across all previous boundaries and ethnicities. Bridges were built and crossed in a moment, and the differences among the people, instead of dividing, became unifying and filled with God’s spirit. Underneath the differences of nationality and language, there was a fundamental unity that was not only touched but enlivened and experienced, profoundly, by many who were there. While others scoffed and offered a cynical commentary, many were open to the movement of the Spirit knowing that a new day and a new kind of church had come.
So as I think about today being Pentecost and whether or not God’s spirit is alive and well here at TPC, I am hopeful that the descending and moving Spirit of the day will inevitably push us beyond what we imagine and will end up stirring up things here at TPC. We do have a story to tell, we do have grace and mercy to share, we do have love to spread, and friends, we can’t rest until we’ve done so.
As best as I can tell, nowhere in the gospels does Jesus command us to go out and build more churches, take care of old buildings and devote ourselves to crumbling institutions. No, Jesus, says “GO, GO and make disciples” and “when you care for the least of these you are caring for me” and “love one another as I have loved you.” And this kind of work is inherently disruptive, difficult and even at times dangerous because there are lots of folks that want things to remain the same or perhaps like they used to be when they had power, and so they don’t want change, they don’t want to be transformed by this violent and moving wind of the Spirit.
Pentecost is the day when the church was born, or perhaps reborn, and it is the power of that moving Spirit that not only encourages us to go out but also can transform us and invites us to become a new kind of church – a church that focuses on servanthood, a church that focuses on sending out and making a difference along Clover Hill Rd and Walnut Creek, a church that focuses on joining God in God’s work in this world by caring for the sick and hungry and disadvantaged, a church that understands that God is at work in us and through us, a church that proclaims that we may be old, but we aren’t done, we have more to offer, we have a common and shared ministry to continue to make a difference in the world. If Pentecost is going to be relevant for us at TPC then we are left with no choice but to show it and share it with and in the world. As God’s Spirit continues moving in this place, we are left to determine what kind of church we want to be, what kind of church we are willing to be – not for us, but for the world and for the glory of God. May God’s Moving Spirit blow through here, set our hearts on fired, and get us jabbering with all kinds of new ideas and new ways to be God’s church in Mansfield, TX and the world. Thanks be to God and a Pentecost Spirit – amen.