The Day of Pentecost

The Collect
Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Psalm
104.25-37

The Readings
Acts 2.1-21     +     Romans 8.14-17     +     John 14.8-17

There is a devotional book of daily meditations for the Easter season, called Resurrecting Easter, by the Very Rev. Kate Moorehead. In the final meditation, for this day, she writes: ‘American culture has diluted and secularized Christmas and Easter. But no one can tame the Pentecost.’ I like that. What is this strange feast of Pentecost? We hear about a sudden sound like the rush of a violent wind, filling the house, and divided tongues like flames of fire coming to rest over the disciples. Peter opens his great Pentecost sermon by quoting from the prophet Joel: dreams and visions, and blood and fire, and smoky mist. Maybe, like the pilgrim crowds in Jerusalem that day, we want to ask: ‘What does this mean?’

It means the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to the disciples: ‘You will be clothed with power from on high’ and ‘you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.’ And they are—and it’s why the church is here today. Because people empowered by the Holy Spirit have continued the saving ministry of Jesus in the world. Because people emboldened by the Spirit of God have shared boldly the good news of Jesus Christ.

One of the things that most fascinates me about the account in Acts 2 is the radical change it produces in the apostles. It starts immediately: ‘But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say!’ Who is this guy? What have you done with the bumbling Peter I know? Who are these apostles, all of a sudden? We see through the rest of the book of Acts how the apostles continue the presence and ministry of Jesus: preaching, baptizing, teaching, healing, ordaining. But do you remember what these guys are like in the Gospels? The apostles are like comic relief in the Gospels! They almost never get anything right! They don’t understand the teaching; they can’t cast out the demons; they fall asleep during prayer; they flee in the face of danger. But something happened. They experienced the power of the Risen Lord. And in accordance with the Lord’s word, they received the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of truth, the Advocate, the Helper—to abide with them. These are not the same men we knew before.

We can often be dismissive (or at least skeptical) of dramatic conversions. There are some good and prudent reasons for that. But also, looking at the New Testament, we do well to remember that we worship of God who makes radical conversions something of habit—we should expect to be occasionally surprised and unsettled. We worship a God whose power and love effect real and lasting change in people’s lives—sometimes in ways that mark them as strange to those who knew them before, in the old life. We worship a God whose Holy Spirit sanctifies the waters of baptism, and births new life in the risen life of Jesus; a Holy Spirit who makes bread and wine to be for us the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. This Holy Spirit, Jesus tells us, abides with the church to lead us into all truth—not for the faint of heart. Sometimes its leading is frightening, like rushing wind and fire, and sometimes comforting, like gentle breath—but it is the same Spirit of God. And no one can tame the Pentecost.

Closing Prayer
O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.