Pentecost - Lynn Campbell

Acts 2:1-21, John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

May God’s Word be spoken and God’s Word be Heard. Amen.
This morning we gather together to celebrate Pentecost, one of the major feasts days of the church. Although it doesn’t come with the secular trimmings of Easter and Christmas, it is no less important. Pentecost comes 50 days after Easter and 10 days after we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus, the Risen Christ ascending to his Father in Heaven. But as we heard in this morning’s Gospel reading, as Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure from this world, he promises that he will send them the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, to walk with them and to guide them. His followers will not be left alone. This is a promise that God fulfills at Pentecost, giving birth to the church.

“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.” The same Spirit that breathed life into all of creation, the same Spirit that descended upon Jesus at his baptism, was now being shared with ALL people. And, that same Spirit IS blowing in our church today. I know this because I witness the Spirit’s movement so often in our life together.

At Pentecost, the Spirit gave the disciples the ability to speak of the powerful deeds of God in a way that allowed for the crowds, many of who were from a different land and spoke a different language, to understand. Stories of the power of God were spoken AND heard. The Good News of God in Christ was shared with all people regardless of language, native land, age, sex or social status.

Those of us who have been baptized into the one Body of Christ have been given the gift of the Spirit. This gift isn’t just for us to enjoy. The spirit propels us forward, compels us to be bearers of the Good News, to share the story of Jesus Christ that has been handed down to us AND to share the ways in which the Spirit continues to breathe new life in us and in the world.

One of the great joys of being a priest in this community is the privilege of hearing the stories of how the Spirit IS working in your lives. And regularly I witness the Spirit sweeping in and through this congregation. It’s an amazing thing. Unfortunately we don’t have many opportunities to share these stories with one another and we don’t always have the confidence to share them with friends, classmates, neighbors or co-workers. But I know from experience that these stories are too important not to share.

Its one thing to invite someone to Christ Church, but it is completely different when you share with someone how you see the Spirit working at Christ Church and invite that person to be a part of it. You can encourage someone to go with you to Shelter Cooking, but how much more powerful is it to share how you have witnessed the Spirit in your conversation with a homeless woman.

The Spirit is pulsing through this community if we have eyes to see it. Let me share with you one example from just last Sunday. At the 10am service we called forward 23 youth and adults to recognize their Confirmation and Reception into the Episcopal Church. 23 of our members made the conscious decision to say yes to living out the baptismal covenant in their lives. And then we called forward the more than 15 church school teachers who have dedicated so much of their free time to sharing the love of God and the story of our faith with our children. The Spirit went with us from the church to the back porch when we gathered for a parish cookout. Young and old, newcomers and faithful members, woman and men all came together. I saw people who grew up in this church chatting with families who have only been here for a few weeks. I saw kids running around playing whiles others sat watching them with big smiles on their faces.

This is a community in which the Spirit IS moving. And just as it was for the first followers of Jesus, it is important for us to hear these stories from one another and to have the opportunity to voice them ourselves. So we are going to try something different this morning. In a moment I’m going to invite you to find a partner and share with that person a way in which you see the Spirit alive in this Community. It might be something you saw or heard, a time you volunteered with the church, or a piece of music you heard. Each person will share his or her experience for 2 minutes. After two minutes we’ll take a deep breath and it will be time for the second person to share. I know this is not the norm for a sermon but I encourage you to give it a try! So, find your partner and get started.

(share stories with one another)

I hope you feel as blessed by the stories you heard and shared as I am every time I hear them from you. I invite you during this season of Pentecost to practice being curious about how the spirit is moving in your life and in the life of this community. Ask people how they experience the Spirit and be willing to share your stories with your neighbors and friends. The same Spirit that has been present since the beginning of creation is still being poured out onto us. And that is good news worth sharing. Amen.