Feast of the Pentecost

Seven weeks after the Paschal candle that stands in the centre of the church was blessed and lit for the first time at the Easter Vigil, we gather once again, one last time, around it to celebrate the Feast of the Pentecost. While it is the still the same candle (albeit shorter) and the flame is the same as before, our focus has shifted from the candle representing the light of Christ breaking back into the world after the depth and solemnity of Holy Week to its reminding us today of the gift of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit breaks into our ordinary lives.

Pentecost is a multi-layered feast day. First, it celebrates the Holy Spirit, represented by all the red we have in church. Red, the flames of the Spirit, uncontainable, filling and releasing the faithful at once, as ecstatic dances fill and raise their participants with energy and hope. Spirit… according to Webster’s, it is that which is ‘the animating principle in life; an attitude or principle that pervades thought, stirs one to action; a vigorous, courageous or optimistic attitude; vigorous sense of membership in a group; to encourage; urge on or stir up.’

The Spirit, which flowed over the waters of chaos at the moment of creation; the Spirit, which God breathed into each living creature at the moment of their creation; the Spirit, that animating force that distinguishes the animate from the inanimate, the living from the dead; the Spirit who lives in each one of us and in whom we have our being.

On that fateful day, fifty days after Easter, the Spirit descended upon the disciples, inspiring them individually and collectively to embody the ministry that Jesus had begun. Jesus had already commissioned them with the Holy Spirit on several occasions—first when, on Easter evening, he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’ and again at the moment of the Ascension when he instructed them to spread the gospel to the corners of the earth. But in the moment of linguistic profusion and proclamation, something new took place.

Eugene Peterson interprets the arrival of the Holy Spirit in these images: ‘Without warning, there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks….’

With the descent of the Spirit on Jesus’ followers, the world changed. The church came into being—a process about which we have heard throughout Easter-tide through the readings from the Book of Acts.

The church began in the passionate blaze of the Spirit, when boundaries of languages and cultures were transcended for a time and all heard the good news in their own language. The consuming fervour of the disciples communicated itself to all who encountered them and allowed for the remarkable spread of the gospel throughout the known world.

So, then, Pentecost also commemorates the birth of the church—symbolised in our church by ‘Everyone’s birthday’ cakes, which delight us all at coffee hour.

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We always assume that these great feasts, Easter, Ascension Day and Pentecost, were joyous, happy occasions for the disciples, who understood right away what was going on. I can’t help but wonder if the disciples had moments in the headiness of following Jesus and being part of a new movement, when the excitement threatened to overwhelm them, when the pull of the newness and power of Spirit might not have also terrified them.

Their world was changing upside down every time they turned around. First it was the foot washing and the last supper where their master told them they were his friends and he was going to be leaving them. Then there was this bread and wine becoming Christ’s body and blood. What were they to make out of all that? If that weren’t enough, their master’s tomb was empty on the third day… as he had told them it would be. He had risen but then why did he keep appearing to them in this resurrected body? Finally, they watched him ascend into heaven.

You have to give it to the disciples—they may have fallen asleep in the garden but they stuck it out in the days following the resurrection. They may have been terrified but somehow Jesus’ words of peace—as reiterated in the portion from John’s gospel that we hear today—must have given them the strength and courage to persevere in all the craziness of the first days of the church.

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Have you ever been in on the formation of a group or organisation? The enthusiasm and energy is infectious and the participants find the capacity to put in endless hours getting the project off the ground. It’s when the project enters the maintenance stage that the enthusiasm begins to wane and people realise the long-haul implications. I often think about the early days of organisations we know well, such as Episcopal Relief and Development, formerly known as the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief. When its founders created it, did they imagine how many generations it would last? Did they create it because the need was there and, God willing, the organisation would survive over time? It has, thanks to three or four generations’ devotion.

Think of how many generations along the church is! Many, many! The Jesus movement has carried on, despite its internal controversies that raged back when and still do. Regardless the short-comings of the people involved in the church, ‘that wonderful and sacred mystery,’ I believe that it will continue on, thanks to the Holy Spirit.

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We are part of that chain of generations and generations of believers and seekers who make up the church. We may occasionally experience moments of ecstasy but we know that, really, ecstasy is only part of the story. The work of living the gospel depends on the sure, slow, steady, patient work of a life lived with attentiveness, prayer, and action. We may savour the Pentecost moment of ecstasy, being released in the dance of the Spirit, but we live in the demands and joys of steady discipleship.

Steady discipleship is like putting one foot in front of the other, not necessarily knowing where the path leads, but following and creating the path because our faith encourages us to do so. Steady discipleship is showing up and being faithful and being surprised by God when we least expect it. And most important in this day and age, steady discipleship is conveying to those around us that God loves absolutely everyone, and that through this love, we need never be afraid. Instead of living a life of fear, we are called to be a people of hope. Through steady discipleship, we will come to know the peace that passes all understanding, the shalom that Jesus imparts to us.

Those of you who were here last year on Pentecost might remember the presence of the seven candles over by the font. Each candle represents one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit: Strength, knowledge, piety, awe and wonder, counsel, understanding, and wisdom. Think of which gifts are your strongest today and which ones you would like to encourage. And then, as you return from communion, you are invited to light a candle from one of the gifts, praying that the Holy Spirit will infuse your heart in the year to come. The Spirit will bring inspiration and the peace of God which is no peace because God will lead us in ways we cannot yet predict.

With that knowledge, we can pray, Come, o Holy Spirit come. Spirit of God, take away our fear; take our lives and carry them in the wind of your powerful and life-giving energy; take our hearts and set them on fire.