Spirit of Understanding, Pentecost Sunday, June 4, 2017

Pentecost Sunday (Year A)

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

– 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (NRSV)

Theme: Spirit of Understanding

Reflection: And one last time, the apostles all were gathered inside a home. The Jewish community was celebrating the festival of Pentecost, 50 days after Passover. But the followers of The Way were on Day 10 of waiting – waiting for the promised Paraclete, not sure what they were expecting to see.

Out of nowhere, the wind gusted, a noisy microburst rushing into the room through every open window. For a second, dust and loose objects scattered, as if a powerful Arizona dust devil was sweeping through, and bewildered expressions covered each believer’s face. It happened so quickly, but later, many present shared that they saw flames or beams of light flickering around the room and above people’s heads.

People dashed for the doors, but were met by the crowd of festival-goers rushing in. Jerusalem wasn’t overtaken by a sudden storm – these visitors saw the winds circle and descend on only this place.

And despite the commotion –  the questions from the visitors and the explanations from the followers, everyone understood the others. Unbelievable – but it was true! Ever since I was a child, I imagined Jesus’ followers as suddenly bilingual. Or perhaps, the Spirit allowed each person there to hear everything translated into his or her native language.

Then two years ago, just before Pentecost, I read an article, “Are Riots the Language of the Unheard?” The headline of this commentary about rioting in Baltimore referenced Dr. Martin Luther King’s words from an interview almost 50 years earlier, “I think that we've got to see that a riot is the language of the unheard.”

And something within me clicked. The reason that the Gospel resonated so deeply that day, inspiring 3,000 new believers, was the Spirit causing these people’s deepest needs to be heard.

What exactly are people’s unheard languages today?

•              They struggle to survive in a nation in which fewer jobs pay living wages.

•              They long for equality and acceptance no matter their race, ethnicity, disability, gender identification, sexual preference, size, appearance, or whatever characteristics divide us.

•              They ache for a caring community to which they truly belong.

•              They hope for a place where they feel their families are safe.

•              They need to feel useful and connected as they grow older.

I could go on and on. The question is, is Christ’s Church a place where we hear and respond to those unheard elsewhere? Are we the listening posts of the community, a body that serves and seeks justice?

I admit I am not always open to hearing these languages. I want to gather with people who come to this place: studying, praying, learning, planning and community-building. I don’t want to be overwhelmed with endless community needs.

But Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians explains that’s not what the Spirit had in mind at all.

We aren’t put here to do it alone, to be overwhelmed, to lose our joy. The Spirit provides a variety of gifts, activities and services, spread out to the entire Body of Christ. God’s Spirit knows what we need to understand the unheard, and provides gifts among all the believers to respond.

I pray that this Pentecost, God’s Holy Spirit would light the Church on fire again, creating an urgency among all God’s faithful people to listen and speak the languages of the unheard. And then, blown by the Spirit, move each of us to respond with our own unique gifts.

Easter to Pentecost

(A poem from Gail as you wait for the Spirit's renewal)

Arm’s distance –

That’s how the disciples

Meant to keep Jesus

After the Resurrection

Knowing they would have him

For only a short while.

But something about him –

     Maybe his kindness,

     Maybe his passion,

Got under their skin,

Into their hearts,

And they couldn’t help

But love him again.

That’s why Jesus

Appealed to his Father

To send us the Spirit –

Another revealing of God.

People don’t surrender to a memory,

Or become transformed by a story;

We need God With Us

As near as our breath.

The Spirit arrived

With wind and fire,

And keeps appearing

     In water and community,

     In divine inspiration,

     Between two hearts,

Pouring her kindness,

Flowing with passion,

Gets under our skin,

Into our hearts,

And we can’t help

But love her again.

(You always are welcome to respond with your thoughts and reflections in the comments section at the bottom of this post.) 

Faith App:  The Spirit is at work (and play!) all around you! Just as you can’t see the wind, but you hear and feel it and see its effects, that’s how you sense the Spirit’s movements.

HYMN/SONG SUGGESTIONS

Shine, Jesus, Shine, ELW 671

O Holy Spirit, Root of Life, ELW 399

God of Tempest, God of Whirlwind, ELW 400

Like the Murmur of the Dove’s Song, ELW 403

O Living Breath of God, ELW 407

Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart, ELW 800

Lord Speak to Us, That We May Speak, ELW 676

The Spirit Sends Us Forth to Serve, ELW 551 (sending)

Consuming Fire, Hillsong United

Soul on Fire, Third Day

Holy Spirit, Francesca Battistelli

Love Come to Life, Big Daddy Weave

Believer, Matt Redman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i4IZM0K1Vg

I dream of tongues of fire

Resting on your people,

I dream of all the miracles to come.

I hope to see the coming

Healing of the nations,

I long to see the prodigals return.

So many hopes and longings in you

When will all the dreams come true?

I'm a believer in your kingdom,

I am a seeker of the new things,

I am a dreamer of some old dreams,

Let them now come

I hope to see you come down,

Rend the mighty heavens,

And let your glory cover all the earth;

To see your sons and daughters

Come to know and love you,

And find a purer passion in the church.

These are the things my heart will pursue;

When will all the dreams come true?

May your church now reach out,

Sowing truth and justice,

Learning to love the poor and help the weak.

When your kingdom's coming

It will touch the broken,

Place the lonely in a family.

These are the hopes and longings in you;

When will all the dreams come true?

LESSONS

Acts 2:1-21 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. (Or Numbers 11:24-30)

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.

1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.  (Or Acts 2:1-21)

John 20:19-23 He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”   (Or John 7:37-39)

Summary of the Lessons:  The Spirit birthed the Church. Jesus the Christ revealed God’s nature, God’s powerful love for us, but the Holy Spirit lives and moves and breathes in us, and provides the unifying language for all God’s people – the language of love.

OPENING LITANY based on Psalm 104:24-34, 35b

L:  O Lord, your handiwork is everywhere;

C:  But do we notice and give you thanks?

L:  Everything you make unique in its purpose;

C:  No mistakes here – nothing by chance!

L:  Just stand at the coastline, look to the sea –

C:  Where the microscopic and massive co-exist;

L:  Hovering dragonflies nibble blue-green algae,

C:  Dolphins frolic, hearing the whale-song praises.

L:  Nothing upon the earth flourishes without you,

C:  Daily bread and clean water the gifts of your hand;

L:  Lord, we would perish if you turned away from us,

C:  Life-giving Spirit-wind, come renew us again.

L:  When you gaze this way, does your Creation delight you?

C:  Earthquakes and volcanoes reveal you creating still.

L:   May my melodies and meditations be pleasing to you;

C:   Rise up, my soul! Lord, forever I will praise your name!

CONFESSION

L:  Your sons and daughters cry out:

C:  Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

L:  Your people, young and old, pray,

C:  Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

L:  When our dreams of justice evade us,

C:  When violence overshadows visions of peace,

L:  Holy Spirit, renew in us your fire of passion,

C:  And uphold us with your sustaining wind.

L:  When our dreams of unity elude us,

C:  When longstanding wounds divide us still,

L:  Holy Spirit, give us wisdom to hear each other,

C:  And provide us patience to persist with hope.

(Silent reflection)

L:  In our confession, we pray together,

C:  Most Merciful God … your winds of change and transforming fire surround us and we respond in fear. We hear the outcry of countless voices and, bewildered, we become divided. You know we struggle to learn these new words and phrases, even as your patient Spirit works on our tongues. Help us with the common language of grace and love, the dialect your entire world can understand.

Here is Good News:  The Holy Spirit is just as present today as on that Church-shaping, Body of Christ-bonding Pentecost almost 2,000 years ago. The Spirit stirred every person present that day, and continues to blaze in the hearts of each believer today. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, your sins are forgiven, and you are set free to share the language of God’s love wherever the Spirit carries you.

Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

L:  We pray together, 

C:  Ever-Renewing God … we pray that your Spirit would move powerfully within your Church today, stirring each of us to share your love. Fill your people with dreams and visions of a world transformed by peace, justice and mercy – a great and glorious day when we speak and understand each another in the universal language of love.  Amen.

COMMUNION BLESSING

L:  We pray together,

C:  We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the many visions in this bread, the one Spirit in this cup. Send us out, speaking your language of your love, rejoicing with the gifts your Spirit has provided us – those we know, and those still to be discovered – for the good of your Church and the people of this world you love so much.  Amen. 

SENDING

L:  Quiet murmurs of healing prayers,

C:  Joyful sounds of lively toddlers,

L:  Voices and instruments uplifted in praise;

C:  God loves the Spirit sounds in this place!

L:  Go now, Spirit-stirred, to love and to serve the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God!

First Reading Acts 2:1-21 (NRSV)

Setting the Scene: For 10 days, Jesus’ followers gathered in prayer and waited for the Advocate Jesus had promised. While Jews gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost, a celebration of first fruits 50 days after Passover, the new Christians had another reason to celebrate the day.

2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ² 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. ³ Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

⁵ Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷ Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹² All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ ‘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.
¹⁸ Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
        and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹ And I will show portents in the heaven above
    and signs on the earth below,
        blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
²⁰ The sun shall be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood,
        before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
²¹ Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Second Reading 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 (NRSV)

Setting the Scene: The Holy Spirit that God sent to the first believers remains active in the Church, Paul explained to the new Christians in Corinth. The Spirit’s work is essential in the life of the Body of Christ.

³ No one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. ⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; ⁶ and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. ⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Gospel John 20:19-23 (NRSV)

Setting the Scene: The Holy Spirit’s first appearance wasn’t after the resurrection. The Spirit was active in Creation and was mentioned throughout in the Old Testament. Here in John’s Gospel, the disciples didn’t have to wait 50 days to Pentecost to receive the Spirit.

¹⁹ When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”