Christ Episcopal Church
May 27, 2012
Pentecost
When I was growing up, my family spent a good bit of time in the summer sailing on Lake Maumelle, just outside Little Rock. We started off with a Sunfish, a small sailboat with one sail and not much between us and the water. Most summer afternoons, the 5 of us would pile into our old Volkswagen Beetle, with the rudder sticking out the sunroof since there is not room in a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle for 5 people and a rudder, and off we would go, pulling the boat on a trailer behind us.
Sailing, I quickly learned, is all about the wind. There may be a strong wind, or no wind, white caps on the lake or what seems to be dead still water, but how ever the wind presents itself is what you have to work with. There is not one thing we can do to make more wind, less wind, or wind from another direction. So, in order to get from one side of the lake to another, or to the island in the middle with the nice picnic area, we had to learn to work with the wind.
The best ride, of course, was when we wanted to go in the same direction as a nice strong wind. All you have to do is let the sail out to catch the wind and away you go. It’s a little hard to stop without winding up in the water, but with some practice it can be done. The hardest work was when we wanted to sail into the wind. That requires setting the sail as closely as possible to the direction of the wind, but not directly into the wind because then the boat comes to a stop and begins to move backwards. But setting the sail as closely as possible to the wind, and using the weight of our bodies to keep the boat tilted at the most effective angle would get us from one side of the lake to the other until we finally reached our destination. That was a lot of work, but it was also a thrilling ride. Then, of course, there were the times when, for all intents and purposes, there was just no wind at all. That is why we always took a paddle with us. With lots of practice, we learned to work with the wind to get where we wanted to go, even when there seemed to be no wind at all.
This morning, we hear about a wind of another sort. When the Jewish feast of Pentecost had come, the feast that celebrated the giving of the Law to Moses, the disciples were all gathered in one place. And suddenly from heave there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them and rested on each one. And the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages.
Tongues of fire and the ability to speak in other languages get most of the press on Pentecost. But the wind and the fire filled the disciples that day. The Holy Spirit came as a wind that did not destroy and a fire that did not burn to blow the disciples out into the world, with a fire in their bellies, to proclaim the gospel.
Once Pentecost has come, the Holy Spirit is the constant in the lives of the disciples. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he did not say "If you need some help in my absence, there will be some power available from heaven." Jesus said to his disciples as he prepared to leave them "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." In the gospel reading we just heard, Jesus does not say "If you need help, I’ll send the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, to guide you." Jesus says "When the Advocate comes....when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth." The Holy Spirit is the constant, and the disciples and Paul will spend much of the book of Acts learning how to work with that mighty wind. Sometimes, the disciples’ work will be a down wind run-they will preach with great success, heal the sick, and be filled with words that are not their own to convey the power of the gospel. Other times, they will wind up in jail, or shipwrecked, or flogged, or hungry, or sleepless and they will be working with the wind to make very slow progress forward. Since the book of Acts is largely about the success of the very early church, we don’t hear much about the times when they felt like the Holy Spirit had abandoned them and they had to get out the paddles and make something happen on their own, but I’m guessing that they felt that way some days, too.
Pentecost is one of the feast days in the church when we celebrate baptism. In baptism we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever. Baptism is our Pentecost experience, whether we remember the event or not, as we are joined forever in the death and resurrection of Jesus and as part of the Body of Christ. However, baptism is also when we promise to spend our lives learning how to work with the Holy Spirit. Just as the sailing was not always smooth, and the disciples had a bit to learn after Pentecost, the same is true of baptism. After the water has dried and the oil of baptism has soaked in, we still have a bit to learn. In the baptismal covenant, which we renew today, we promise to spend our lives learning to work with the Holy Spirit. We promise to be faithful in worship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers, so that we are nourished for this work. Because we know we will fail sometimes, we promise that when we fall into sin, we will repent and return to the Lord. We promise to practice, over and over and over again, respecting the dignity of every human being, proclaiming the gospel in word and action, seeking and serving Christ in all people, and working for justice and peace. That is the work of the Spirit and the work the Spirit calls us to do. Sometimes that work is a down wind run-thrilling and fast and easy. Sometimes that work feels like work and we have to use some weight to keep the boat upright and moving forward. And sometimes we feel like we are all alone with our paddle, trying to make something good happen even when the water is dead still. But the message of Pentecost is that we are never actually alone. The Holy Spirit has been given to us, is present with us, is the constant in our lives, and gives us the power to make a difference, even when we think we are paddling alone.
Amen..
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