Joel D. Kline
May 30, 2004
Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren
Pentecost Sunday
The story is told of a young man and woman standing under the porch light of the young woman’s family home, at the conclusion of their first date. The young man timidly asks, “Can I kiss you?” The young woman smiles quietly, but says nothing. After a few moments the young man tries again, this time saying, “I mean may I kiss you?” Again the young woman smiles, but says nothing. “Are you deaf?” the fellow cries out, to which the young woman questions in response, “Are you paralyzed?”
The Pentecost story is a story of the church becoming un-paralyzed—the church being empowered to carry out its very purpose, which is to model and proclaim the good news of life lived in God’s realm. In the aftermath of Easter, conflicting emotions swirl within the hearts of the early followers of Jesus, as they struggle to make sense of his death and resurrection. On the one hand, the early disciples are excited and amazed, as they sense that new possibilities and directions for life are sure to follow; on the other hand, uncertainty prevails. Life seems out of control, and they cannot quite put their finger on what the resurrection of Jesus means and where it will lead them. Some of the early followers, no doubt, sense that something remarkably new is at hand, but with the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, it becomes clear to the early Christian community that a new chapter in relationship with God is unfolding, and that they have a key role to play.
Over the course of ancient Israel’s history, a few select persons seemed to reflect God’s Spirit. Sarah and Abraham, you may remember, respond to a remarkable call to venture forth to a new land. The couple reflects God’s audacious Spirit as, in the words of the writer of the letter to the Hebrews, they “set out, not knowing where they are going” (Hebrews 11:8). Albeit initially reluctantly, Moses hears the call of God’s Spirit to proclaim a message of freedom to the Egyptian Pharaoh, “Let my people go.” And David, almost in spite of himself, becomes ruler of Israel, and in later years the Israelites glorify David as their ideal king, one in whose image and lineage the messiah shall come. But the prophets begin to sense that the Spirit of God shall not rest content with being perceived as the exclusive property of a few “spiritually elite.” Rather, the prophets envision a time when all people shall experience the touch of God’s empowering Spirit.
The prophet Jeremiah, you may remember, envisions a new covenant, a time when all God’s people, from the least to the greatest, will come to know God. Jeremiah hears God saying, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts…all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Jeremiah 31:34). Similarly, the prophet Isaiah asserts that God will throw open the blessings of the Davidic covenant to all who come seeking God. And the prophet Joel, quoted by Peter as he preaches at Pentecost, declares that God’s Spirit shall be poured out on all manner of people:
…your sons and daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon the slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit (Acts 2:17-18).
Young and old, male and female, slave and free—all will be caught up by the rushing wind of God’s Spirit, a Spirit that frees this diversity of people to dream new dreams and empowers them to embrace a new way of living in the world around them. Pentecost set the first believers free to put on an exciting and fresh way of living characterized by compassion and grace, by self-giving love and servanthood, by mercy and justice, by peace and hope.
Susan Boyer, pastor of the La Verne, California Church of the Brethren, writes of her love for Pentecost celebrations in a meditation in the most recent La Verne Church newsletter. Says Susan,
I want us to claim Pentecost again. So many of our other Holy Days have become mere opportunities for consumerism. Christmas [for many] is about gifts, wrapping paper, rich foods and parties. Easter is about a bunny, gifts, chocolate and rich foods. But Pentecost…Pentecost hasn’t been stolen away yet, probably because most people haven’t even heard of it.
Pentecost reminds us of who we are as the church. Many organizations believe that the hungry should be fed, the oppressed should be freed, and the unloved should be loved. But Pentecost reminds us that the Spirit is the One who motivates us to do those very things. A life in the Spirit is a life lived in loving service.
I love Pentecost. I love its amazing claims. I love the way it calls us to be about the very things Jesus did in his lifetime. I love Pentecost for its bright colors and passionate call. I love the way it isn’t a once and for all historical event but happens over and over again. Jose Comblin, the Roman Catholic liberation theologian, said: “The tradition of Western Christianity has never given enough importance to the Spirit. There was one Easter; there are millions of Pentecosts.” I love Pentecost because it does happen again and again.
Susan’s reflections challenge us to question the extent to which we allow the Pentecost story to happen anew in our lives. In his book entitled Soul Tsunami: Sink or Swim in New Millennium Culture, Leonard Sweet, dean of the Theological School at Drew University, reminds us that
Jesus’ life was not an essay. Jesus’ life was not a doctrine. Jesus’ life was not a sermon. Jesus’ life was a story. People don’t live essays or doctrines or sermons. They live stories. People are not pulled from the edge of the pit by essays or doctrines or sermons. They are rescued by stories. They are healed by stories.
And Pentecost invites us to live the story of Jesus, empowered by the Spirit of God. Pentecost un-paralyzes us, as the Holy Spirit gifts not just a select few, but the entire church, so that together we might fully embrace our calling to reflect the heart and compassion of Christ Jesus. The intriguing thing is that we become un-paralyzed as we learn to let go of our need for control, as we allow ourselves to receive something we may not have even known we needed!
We live in a world seemingly intent on domination and control, but deep within our souls, we sense that something is amiss. A recent editorial in The New York Times speaks of a gnawing sense of dread filtering across the land. Writes Bob Herbert, the editorialist, there is a growing “suspicion that we may all be passengers in a vehicle that has made a radically wrong turn and is traveling along a dark road, with its headlights off and with someone behind the wheel who may not know how to drive.”
I wonder if this gnawing uncertainty and dread might not explain the deep spiritual hunger of our day. Bookstores are lined with “how-to” books exploring the realm of spirituality. But many who yearn for greater meaning and purpose in their lives little consider the church and its message. Indeed, the tragic truth is that those who do think of the church find themselves doing little more than yawning! How is it that the church, which began unexpectedly with rushing wind, tongues as of fire, and the tearing down of barriers of hostility and suspicion and division—how is it that this church is now far more likely to be identified, not with spiritual adventure, but with blandness and boredom? Given that sad reality, how is it that we might recapture the vitality of the early church?
Christianity loses its drawing power, its ability to offer wholeness and new life, whenever we would reduce its message to no more than a recital of right doctrine or to a prescribed list of beliefs. For the Christian faith is so much more than a list of doctrinal beliefs; the Christian faith is about relationship. It is about making the story of Jesus our story. It is proclaiming with the hymn writer, “This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.”
It is this fundamental relationship with Jesus that leads us to a profound love and compassion for all humanity, that prods us to be in the business of tearing down walls. How tragic, then, that large pockets of the church would use their energy to create walls of exclusion, to bicker and argue over minor details of scriptural interpretation, to focus more on justifying fears and prejudices rather than allowing the Spirit to soften hearts and guide us into Christ’s way of self-giving love.
On this Pentecost Sunday, let us allow our life stories and songs to become a part of the story and song of Jesus. Let us allow the Spirit of God to un-paralyze us, setting us free to love and serve in the name and Spirit of Christ. Let us embrace anew the wonder and challenge of God’s never-ending love and grace. Amen.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. Spirit of the loving God, descend upon our hearts. Melt us and mold us, God, into your image. For though you created us to reflect your grace and compassion, we frequently turn and pursue selfish paths. Forgive us, divine Creator, and when we are tempted again to go our own way in life, open our eyes and ears and hearts to your holy purposes. Take the dimness of our souls away. Fill us with gratitude for your abundant gifts, and use us in your service.
God of compassion and grace, hear our deep cravings for peace—peace in our hearts, peace in those relationships most significant to us, peace in the world. On this weekend when many ponder the sobering toll that warfare takes, remind us of your vision for human life. In the midst of a world of suspicion and fear and violence and greed, embolden us to plant holy seeds of justice and mercy and peace and hope. In our personal times of discouragement, holy God, remind us that your mercy never fails, your compassion never ends. Great is your faithfulness, O God!
Spirit of Pentecost, Spirit of freshness, Spirit of new life, teach us to love one another as we ought to love. Hear us now as we pray for our church community here at Highland Avenue, that we might more fully become a place to deepen faith, proclaim peace, embrace community, welcome others, and serve our neighbor, all in the compassionate spirit of Jesus. We pray not only for this congregation, not only for the Church of the Brethren, but for the church universal, for persons of faith around the world as they seek to embrace the holy passion of living for your glory, O God, and the good of our neighbors.
Hear us, gracious God, as we hold before you those in special need of your healing touch…
Spirit of God, descend upon our hearts. Stoop to our weakness, mighty as you are. We pray in the name of the One who came living and proclaiming a new way of life—Jesus the Christ. Amen.