Pouring out the Spirit

The Day of Pentecost occurs fifty days after Easter each year.  It is often referred to as the birthday of the Church and ii signifies God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to all who, as stated in the Book of Common Prayer follow “Jesus Christ as Lord and are brought into love and harmony with God, with ourselves, with our neighbors, and with all creation.”

The feast of Pentecost is also referred to as Whitsunday, especially in the United Kingdom.  In the New Testament as we heard in the lesson from the Acts of the Apostles Pentecost was the occasion of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus.

Last week I attended the ordination to the priesthood of the Rev. Linda Griggs.  Linda is the Associate Minister at St. Martin’s Church.  During ordination services we invoke God’s gift of the Holy Spirit by singing an ancient ninth century hymn. You will likely recognize a couple of verses:

Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
and lighten with celestial fire.
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart.

Teach us to know the Father, Son,
and thee, of both, to be but One,
that through the ages all along,
this may be our endless song:

Praise to thy eternal merit,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

It is an emotional and inspiring hymn that calls to mind the gift of the Holy Spirit to Jesus’ disciples.  As Luke states in the Acts of the Apostles, “when the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. 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. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”

They spoke in their native tongues. We heard a number of them, “Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs.”  Imagine how amazing it was  as they were “speaking about God's deeds of power."  

Luke’s story is fascinating..  It is his own account of the Holy Spirit  and it follows the Jewish festival of Shavuot, a word that means “weeks.”  It is a holiday celebrated fifty days after Passover.  Shavuot commemorates the giving of the law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The account in Acts says that when the disciples were gathered, “suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting…. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”

There are Christians today who accept it as a literal account, and there are others who understand it as metaphorical and prefer to focus on its meaning for us who live in the 21^st Century. What I find important about this story is that God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is for all people of every language.  It reminds me of all the different languages that are spoken here in Providence.  The coming of the Holy Spirit is God’s gift of salvation leading toward the end of time.  It is the fulfillment of Christ's promise, recorded in the fist chapter of Acts that the disciples “will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

Peter, as part of his first sermon, quoted the prophet Joel and told them what Pentecost means, “`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. …Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'"

This is a story about mission, it is about proclaiming the good news of God’s saving grace to people everywhere, and sharing it in languages they can understand.  The Holy Spirit is the foundation for this mission.  It means that God’s love is for all people.  People around the world of every language are filled with the Holy Spirit.  They are able to hear God’s desire for all people to be united and for his saving power to be realized throughout the world.

This past week two events happened here at All Saints which I think are evident of God’s saving spirit.  One was the City Meal Site feeding a nutritious meal last Tuesday to more than 150 hungry and homeless people.  This happens every week.  The other event was a concert presented by Community Music Works.  Young children of elementary and middle school age performed on musical instruments for their families and friends.  They are a dedicated group of musicians who played solo selections on the violin or cello. It was a privilege to hear such an enthusiastic group of budding artists.  Music is a spiritual offering of composers, musicians, and audiences who appreciate a universal language.

The Holy Spirit is life-giving and sustains the entire community.  People of every language and culture have a variety of talents and gifts.  We receive the Spirit of God when we are engaged in prayer and worship and in community service.  Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these…. If you love me you will keep my commandments.”  This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you."

On this Day of Pentecost may the Spirit of God be within you and support you in all your life, in your work and leisure, and in your relationships with family, friends, and the people you meet.  Amen.