Pointing to Pentecost

Holy Spirit Holes

The period of time from about the fifth century to the beginning of the eleventh century in Europe has been called the Dark Ages. Someone described it as a six hundred year Great Depression, when food was scarce, people struggled just to survive, and many did not. The one bright spot in those days was the local cathedral. For one thing, the building of these cathedrals provided jobs for many people. More than that, the cathedrals were centers of community life for most people.

Pentecost was one of the great holidays celebrated in these cathedrals. In fact, many of them were built with special features designed for this great festival. The great domed and vaulted ceilings with their beautiful paintings and murals had little trap doors in them which were used for Pentecost celebrations. During worship, some one would climb up on the roof of the cathedral. At just the right moment in the service someone would release live doves through the trap doors, through the painted skies and clouds of the cathedral ceiling.

These doves would come swooping down on the congregation as living symbols of the presence of the Holy Spirit. At the same moment, the choirboys were encouraged to make whooshing and drumming sounds, like a holy windstorm. Then, finally, as the doves swooped and the winds rose, the trap doors were again opened, and bushels of rose petals were showered upon the congregation, symbolizing tongues of flame falling upon the faithful below. The holes through which this was done were called, "Holy Spirit holes." You can image the wonder and delight that an event like that would bring into the hard, drab lives of those medieval Christians!

Today, we don't have any holes in the ceiling like that, but I think we still need "Holy Spirit holes;" maybe not holes in the roof, but openings through which God's Spirit can enter into the lives of people in today’s world. There is a need for followers of Jesus, for you and me, to serve as "Holy Spirit holes" to the people around us. There is a need for Christians who are led by the Spirit to be channels of God's grace in a world that is all too often lacking in grace.. We live in a world of people held captive to sin, to death, and to the power of the devil; a world of people who cannot free themselves. Led by the Spirit, we have the privilege of announcing good news to captives.

Johnny and the Dead Duck

It’s like the story of a girl named Sally and her younger brother, Johnny. They were staying with their grandmother for the summer. Since they lived in the city, it was a special time, enjoying the things one can do out in the country. One afternoon Johnny was skipping stones across a little pond behind Grandma's house while Sally sat and watched. Grandma had a pet duck named Oscar who had the run of the place, but usually stayed pretty close to the pond.

Just as Johnny let go with one of this strongest throws, Oscar waddled out from behind a rock on the other side of the pond. Horror of horrors, the rock hit Oscar and the poor duck collapsed. There he lay, motionless; a dead duck. "Oh, no," cried Johnny, "what have I done?" Knowing it was wrong, nevertheless Johnny buried Oscar, glad that no one has noticed - except Sally, that is. Oh, yes. Johnny would discover later that Sally had witnessed the whole thing.

That night when it came to do the dishes, Sally said, "Remember Oscar?" Johnny said, "Oh, I'll be glad to do the dishes, Grandma. Just let Sally go on." When it came time for other duties, Sally said, "Remember Oscar?" Johnny then did not only his own chores but everything that his sister was supposed to do.

After several days of this, Johnny had had enough and he went to his grandma and said: "Grandma, I have something I want to tell you. I am sorry but the other day when I was skipping rocks on the pond, I hit Oscar and killed him."

"I knew that," Grandma replied. "I was at the window when it happened. I've already forgiven you. I was just waiting for you to ask for forgiveness. I kept wondering how long you were going to remain a slave to your sister."

There is a world of Johnny’s who are slaves, not to their sisters, but to sin. The people of this world are captive to sin and cannot free themselves. The evil one has something over on us. Remember what you did to Oscar? Remember that ugly word you spoke? Remember the unkind deed? Remember the commandment you failed to keep? Remember how you failed? Remember the wrongful deeds you did, all the good you left undone?

Yes, the evil one has something on us, something that puts us at his mercy. The world and all of us who live in it are in a bad predicament. And the devil tells us the Lord is coming and boy is he mad.

Orphans

But the gospel tells a different story. The Lord is coming and how amazing is his grace. Our gracious God sent his own dear son to live, to give his life away, and to rise again…for us. Through Christ we are forgiven and set free. Through Christ we are made members of God’s family. We are included, not excluded.

describes how we are brought into God’s family. Paul reminds us that we are brought into the family of Christ by adoption.

Like orphans who have no power of their own, so we confess with Martin Luther in his Explanation to the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed that "I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel.... In the same way he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth."

In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has broken down the prison walls of this world, sprung the locks of fear and guilt. He breathes his Spirit upon us, not to make us his slaves, but to make us his children in his family. Paul reminds us that we did not receive a spirit of slavery and fear, but the security of being children of God.

Adopted

That assurance of belonging in God's family is illustrated by the story of the little boy who was asked by his teacher when his birthday was. The boy said it was January 1, 1998. The teacher then asked when his brother's birthday was. The boy said it was February 1, 1998 - the same year!

When the teacher said that couldn't be, the boy said, "It's O.K., because one of us is adopted." When the teacher asked, "Which one?" the boy answered, "We asked our parents that, but they gave us both a hug and said, 'We can't remember anymore'"

We are brought into the family of Christ, the family of his Church. What do we get? We get the grace of God. In Christ's family of his Church we live in this relationship of love. Led by the Spirit, we can talk with our God in prayer, we can walk with him through the events and challenges of daily life. We can seek his will and guidance. We can share with him our deepest needs and concerns.

In Christ's family of his Church we have the privilege of serving. This too is part of our life as we are brought into his family.

On the Day of Pentecost, which we will celebrate in two weeks, the Spirit descended upon the followers of Jesus like a mighty wind and like flames of fire. These people who were on the receiving end of God’s love and mercy; these people who had been made part of the family of God…are now led by the Spirit to share what they have.

They go out into the market place, to their family members and friends, to strangers they meet along the way and share the good news of the gospel. The gift of the Spirit led them to cross over boundaries of race and language and all those other things that have a way of separating people from one another. By the power of God’s Spirit in their lives, they crossed over those boundaries so that every one they met could hear the Good News in a way they could understand.

Today, also, people need to hear the Gospel in ways they can understand, and boundaries need to be crossed to do that. We need to proclaim it to those around us who are different from us; God wants you and me to be “Holy Spirit Holes” through which God’s love and grace can touch the lives of many. God wants us to be openings through whom the Spirit moves to share God's love with all. That is the excitement of Pentecost that we live in. And the world has never been the same since. May we be led by the Spirit. May the Spirit work through us for the good of all people and to the glory of God. AMEN