Our pastor asked if I might take the pulpit to promote our churches Endowment Fund. I felt inspired that it was my favorite day of the church calendar, Pentecost. . Here is that talk with titles substituted for names to protect the innocent...
Good morning and happy Pentecost. Thank you Pastor for that kind introduction and for giving me this opportunity. Thanks choir for that beautiful anthem. Thanks to all those who planned and prepared today’s worship service. The Spirit of Pentecost is evident throughout this service. And thank you to {my spouse} for reading the texts for this Pentecost Sunday. These texts point us towards the Spirit of Pentecost. As we heard in the call to worship, “At the first Pentecost, people understood one another: they heard the message of Christ in their own language, despite all their variety. The Spirit made them capable of doing so. We too speak our own languages with the different ways we live our faith. So we ask the Spirit of Pentecost to help us understand and appreciate one another and unite us in a bond of faith and love.”
Pentecost is a big deal. Happy Pentecost, is that the correct greeting? We celebrate Pentecost as the birthday of the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit. Happy Birthday, Happy Pentecost. I am not sure what the proper greeting is. It is somewhat surprising that commercial interests have not exploited Pentecost yet. I haven’t seen advertisements for any Pentecost sales. We are not encouraged to rush around in a busy way preparing for Pentecost.
But look around; there is a festive touch here this morning with so many wearing red. {This church} is not looking to the secular world to let us know what days to celebrate in the Christian Calendar. This congregation has a rich tradition of making sure Pentecost is a special day and celebrated in style. We value the Spirit of Pentecost and appreciate that the worship team and our pastor have made special preparations for today. Welcome Spirit of Pentecost. To all of you, Happy Pentecost.
Pentecost – the name is Greek for a Jewish festival that falls on the fiftieth day of Passover. Jews from all over the Roman Empire had gathered in Jerusalem for the festivities of Pentecost. Listen again to this portion of today’s reading from Acts; “All of the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”
The apostles and other believers were suddenly empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel. They went out into the crowds and attracted attention by preaching in the native languages of all the people present. The crowds that gathered were amazed and marveled but some of them thought the apostles were drunk and made fun of them. Peter seized the moment and told the crowd; “Listen to what I say. Indeed, these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
‘In the last days, God declares,
I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions,
your old men shall dream dreams.
After Peter preached about Jesus’ death and resurrection, about three thousand converts were baptized that day. This is the story of the birth of the church, this outpouring of the Holy Spirit on human flesh that gave birth to the Church. The Spirit of Pentecost.
Just like we should not look to the world to tell us which days are important in the church year, we don’t let the popular culture inform us about the Spirit of Pentecost. The spirit is not to be thought of as Casper the friendly ghost or some phantom from Pirates of the Caribbean. Sister Thomas Bernard MacConnel, a veteran teacher and founder of the Spirituality Center on the campus of Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles, remarks that it’s easier for human beings to relate to the stories of Christmas and Easter than to Pentecost. Quote, “Both Christmas and Easter involve person or persons. But Pentecost is about the Holy Spirit, which is not a person in the same sense as Jesus.” “ The Holy Spirit is a harder concept for people just because of our humanity.”
The term “Holy Spirit” comes from the Greek word, paraclete, meaning, “one who is called alongside.” Other synonyms include “ comforter, and encourager.” In today’s reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the advocate, to be with you forever.
So what are we to make of this spirit today? Do we need something dramatic? I grew up in the Lutheran church. In my senior year in high school though, I became involved with a group of young people who embraced “signs of the spirit” such as speaking in tongues. In this group, feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit was central but I found that this desire for the signs of the spirit was a bit strained and limiting. Rather than being open to the spirit, this group seemed to try to contain and control the spirit with a specific formula and routine. They emphasized dramatic physical moments such as speaking in tongues but were much less interested in that quiet still voice.
So in that particular group, I didn’t have a strong sense of the spirit. Their view of the movement of the spirit of God seemed to me to be incomplete. They did not seem open to the Spirit of Pentecost moving in new and various ways.
The Spirit of Pentecost – This phrase is not limited to the “Holy Spirit” but includes those images in the bible of a nonmaterial reality pervading the universe. Today’s scripture readings are based around the events of Pentecost, but in the bible, spirit is used to refer to God’s presence in creation, in the history of Israel, in the life of Jesus and in the early church such as is being highlighted today.
Did you catch what {my spouse} read at the very beginning from Acts about the apostles gathered together in one place? “And suddenly there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting”
The Hebrew word for spirit is Ruach, which also means wind and breath. Wind and breath; both are invisible yet manifestly real. “The sound of the wind filled the entire house where the apostles were sitting.” We cannot see the wind, though its presence and effects are felt; it moves without being seen. When it blows, it is all around us. Breath is like wind inside the body. For the ancient Hebrews breath is associated with life, as it is for us.
I have been practicing Yoga regularly for several years now. Attention to breathing is central to yoga practice. The sun salutation routine synchronizes the breath with a sequence of movements. Yoga is a type of meditation as the body/mind becomes focused through movement and breath.
And you don’t need to practice Yoga to find values in paying attention to your breath. If you are tense or distracted, be come aware of your breath. This attention can provide focus and calm the mind. Although we often picture God speaking to use through dramatic events, we recognize that stillness and quietness provide an opportunity to listen. Paying attention to your breath can be included in your prayer life. We breathe all the time without thinking about it. Focus on your breath but without trying to change it. Notice that life force within. Recognize the spirit that gives you life. Allow an opportunity for the spirit to speak to you.
The spirit of Pentecost – Wind and breath. Within us and all around us.
The Endowment Fund is being highlighted on this day of Pentecost – The Permanent Endowment Fund provides a way of creating a memorial to those who “rest from their labors” and to celebrate the joyous occasions of life with those who are very much still with us. Since 1995, the Endowment Fund has been receiving gifts to benefit the ministries of {this church}. The Endowment Fund was set up to fund special projects with the earnings from the endowment principal. The intent of the fund is to preserve the gifts made to the endowment principal while using the increase to fund items that are outside the regular church budget. The Tree of Life on the back wall of the sanctuary is a visible reminder of the Endowment Fund. But the endowment fund is more than a beautiful display of rocks and leaves in the shape of a tree. Like the wind and breath we have been talking about, the spirit of those honored is within us and all around us. The emphasis in grants from the endowment fund is not on specific physical objects but on working to foster the presence of the spirit in our church life. The most recent grant was for some of the materials used in the recent Lenten classes. The emphasis of the grant is on the movement of the spirit in our congregation through those classes.
The Spirit of Pentecost – As {our pastor} has served this church so well these past years, the love that {our pastor}has for this congregation has always been obvious. He has invited us to be aware of the Spirit of Pentecost. At the first Pentecost, people understood one another: they heard the message of Christ in their own language, despite all their variety. That spirit of Pentecost has stirred in {our pastor} that same boldness that Peter and the other apostles felt that day. Pentecost propelled the message of Jesus to the outside world. It’s when these first Christians really broke free from a rather parochial kind of Jerusalem-centered, fearful, cautious stance. The spirit of Pentecost has brought the message of Jesus forward to this day so we could gather together for this service. In this era of Ipod, instant messaging and music videos, {our pastor} has been open to the spirit speaking to each in their native language just like the first Pentecost. The spirit of Pentecost has moved him to speak in the language of the youth and young people of our congregation with new forms and expressions of faith. The spirit of Pentecost has moved him to speak in the language of those who do not have a church home and are seeking one. The spirit of Pentecost has moved him to boldly proclaim the essentials of the Christian faith with new media, rather than making the seekers find this truth in the midst of what is familiar to us. The Spirit of Pentecost has moved him to assist each of us to find the ability to understand and appreciate one another and unite us in a bond of faith and love. {Pastor}, I thank you for the Spirit of Pentecost you have brought to this congregation.
The spirit of Pentecost – At the day of Pentecost, the early Christians were now able to proclaim salvation as a relationship with God in the present, whose gifts are freedom, joy, peace, and love and whose fruits are compassion and justice. This relationship with God, and all that flows from it, are the purpose of the Christian life. The invitation of the Christian Gospel is to enter into that relationship in which healing and wholeness exist, making our lives here and now, a life with God.
At the first Pentecost, people understood one another: they heard the message of Christ in their own language, despite all their variety. The Spirit made them capable of doing so. We too speak our own languages with the different ways we live our faith. So we ask the Spirit of Pentecost to help us understand and appreciate one another and unite us in a bond of faith and love.
Thank you for this opportunity to share from my faith journey. Happy Pentecost!
