SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2023 | EASTER - Pentecost (A)

Acts

A dramatic scene, probably quite surprising to the apostles. Holy Spirit as fire - cleansing, transforming.

Not to neglect - it was the miracle of the tongue AND the ear. They just couldn’t speak all those languages - there was a processing filter.

It’s cute that their argument is: we are not drunk, it is only 9am in the morning.

NT

There is one Spirit working within us, but we all get different manifestations. That is why it is important, to keep ourselves open-minded for not only the variety of gifts, but also the variety of receivers- all manner of genders, sizes, ages, identities, nationalities, ethnicities, abilities. If we just restrict it to white straight males over 30 years old, we just lose so much of the manifestations entrusted to many…And if we only value pastors, deacons, and musicians…again, we lose so many of the gifts!

Gospel

Rewind again - Jesus appears to them, while they are hiding following discovering the empty tomb - he appears to everyone but Thomas that was on scavenge trip. He imparts the Spirit then, but I guess it is not activated yet!

Manuscript

Good morning,

Pentecost is among us once again! This fiery event, where the Holy Spirit was at work on both those speaking and those listening to God’s word. What an event! So how do our texts speak to it? Let’s have a look.

Acts is of course the primary source of this event - I wouldn’t call it a historical account, but it describes it, let’s say quite explicitly! It was a manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit - through influence on both the speakers (apostles - Galileans) and the listeners (various nationalities). The Holy Spirit was the mediator that made it all happen. Just a little side note - I find it cute that Peter explains that they are not drunk by saying it’s 9 in the morning!

Then we have 1 Corinthians, where we learn further details about the Holy Spirit. First of all, it’s all the same Spirit, but we all get different manifestations! I think that is why it is important to keep ourselves open minded - not only for the variety of gifts, but also the variety of owners that received these gifts! Holy Spirit gives gifts to people of all manner of genders, sizes, ages, identities, nationalities, ethnicities, of differing abilities etc. If we just assume that the gifts of the Spirit are reserved to White able-bodies straight males over 30, then we just lose out on so many valuable manifestations of the Spirit!

And finally, in our John reading, we circle back to Jesus’ appearance while the apostles are hiding fearing the Jewish religious leaders post-discovery of the empty tomb. And that is the time they receive the Holy Spirit, never for them to be alone again, even when Jesus ascends.

So what of it? First of all, Holy Spirit is sure wild, y’all! Second of all, Holy Spirit is a generous Spirit. So let’s talk about it.

We are of course in the post-ascension reality - Jesus is not here in the flesh anymore, he was taken up to take the proverbial seat on the right hand of God the Father. However, as we discussed, his influence remains with us, chiefly through the Holy Spirit and through those that follow this Spirited guidance, in and out of the church. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge - that includes us.

And Holy Spirit, at least in this case, is not that quiet, whispering voice in the back of our heads that sometimes we call our conscience, some others may call it “the ancestors”… No, here, Holy Spirit is more like a raging wildfire. And it’s great. Cool surround sound effects? Check. Visual effects better than Star Wars? Check. And then oh, also the gift of speaking AND understanding of all kinds of languages. Because it looks like there were more languages needed than Apostles, so one per language wasn’t probably an option! And all that for the glory of God, so that people can learn about God’s love and grace! People are being called to come and benefit from the coming Kingdom of God, where class, poverty, hunger, injustice, and weeping is no more! Such power!

And the Holy Spirit sure does not discriminate - remember, it descended on the apostles while they were all scared and hiding from the world. Their actions after Jesus was arrested wouldn’t really earned them the Holy Spirit if it were about that. By their own actions, they are sure not worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit.

However, as we hear again and again - God’s grace is conferred as a gift through the Holy Spirit without any merit earned. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be grace if it were “fair”! And more than that, I don’t think any one would be able to earn the Holy Spirit with merit - there are just not enough good deeds to be done to counterbalance God’s love, even if we somehow managed not to dilute them with a single sin, which is…rather unrealistic, let’s be real! Not even hermits in the desert manage that, let alone anyone who has to interact and work with other people. Especially with our drivers!

So Holy Spirit…the third person of the Trinity, which we are to celebrate very shortly as well. There are whole denominations dedicated to especially celebrating the Holy Spirit and on the other hand, denominations like us Lutherans perhaps underestimate the power and contribution of the Holy Spirit. We may view her simply as means to an end - giving grace and salvation, inspiring reading and preaching the Word…but the Holy Spirit is a force onto herself. Without the Holy Spirit, post-Ascension Christianity wouldn’t be possible - each manifestation within us is different and yet it is the same Spirit. We are bound together…in unified difference and diversified unity. We have all kinds of gifts of the Spirit scattered among us, inspiring us, driving us, encouraging us.

Friends in Christ, we sure ought to listen and take the Holy Spirit seriously, even if the communication may not look like tongues of fire and various languages, but perhaps a little whisper, a tingle at the end of our fingers, or a new, unexpected insight. In a society, where those that have so much want to siphon up even more from those that have little like it is the case with Republicans in the House trying to retroactively impose interest that has not accrued during the student loan payment pause due to COVID and sell it to us as some common good, where a tragic anniversary goes by and people still gaslight us that all is well and no change is needed like it is in the case of the anniversary of Uvalde shooting, where we live under dire human-caused climate change consequences and there are still those that want to tell us that protecting high pollution industries is more important like in Montana.... And that is just the U. S.! The war in Ukraine rages on and some are convinced by Russia that it is a rightful war, Palestinians continue to be mistreated in the name of politicized right-wing Judaism, ....

We ought to listen to someone whom we can trust and who will never trick us or gaslight us and who will always be on the side of good and love. The Holy Spirit is just that and we are so blessed we have her within us! There is no good news to be had without the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the truth. Amen.