“Where Has the Spirit Gone?” (Acts 2:1-21)

Drama sells.

One cannot find a more dramatic scene than the one we just heard in our scripture reading this morning.  What we heard is a description of that first day of Pentecost.  Cloistered away the room in which the disciples were sitting is filled with the sound of rushing wind . . . tongues of fire appear upon each of them . . . and the noise was immense as they heard other tongues being spoken.  The commotion attracted the attention of others who crowded around the house to see what was happening.  They were baffled by what they were witnessing . . . they were in awe.

 

They could not believe what they were seeing.  But on the other hand, there were those there who were quick to give an opinion and declared that they were drunk.  Then Peter stood up and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.  These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!  No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel . . .”  Then he went on to explain that this was just as the prophet had said, just as Jesus had promised.  The Holy Spirit was delivered. 

 

Thus, it is that we celebrate the Day of Pentecost within our churches . . . the Holy Spirit has been delivered.  As the story goes the delivery of the Holy Spirit is built up until it reaches a crescendo on that fateful day in Jerusalem.  And you must admit, it is a more gripping story as we have it than if it had just happened without all the dramatic effects.  It grabs our attention with excitement and awe as we witness the grand entrance of the Holy Spirit upon the faithful.  This stuff sells tickets.

 

But . . . really?  Is this how it works?

 

I have often told the story about my baptism.  Having heard my friend Paul describe his baptism in quite biblical terms . . . the heavens opening up, heavenly choirs, the doves descending . . . I was quite excited and anxious to get baptized.  Then it happened.  The minister immersed me in the depths of the baptismal waters . . . he dunked me.  Up out of the baptismal waters I sprang expecting the heavens to split wide open, choirs singing, and seeing doves descend . . . and nothing!  Nothing at all.  All I was . . . was soaking wet!  No heavenly vision.  No choir.  No doves, not even a pigeon.  Just my brother, David, crying.

 

David was crying because he thought the minister had killed me.  He really thought the minister had killed me.  The minister had proclaimed “the old dies and the new is born” just before he dunked me under the water.  David was certain that the minister was drowning me. 

 

And . . . that was it.  There was no drama.  Pretty plain and simple.  From that moment on I was one of the faithful . . . signed, sealed, and delivered.  No heavenly scene, choir, or doves.  Nor was there the sound of rushing wind or tongues of fire.

 

Needless to say . . . I was disappointed.

 

In the first congregation I served out of seminary, there was a couple who were faithful members of the congregation . . . but they had an evangelical flair that our church couldn’t quite meet.  So, they would attend worship with us on Sunday morning and then head over to one of the evangelical churches to get their fix.  It worked well for them and for us.

 

At least it did for a while.  One day the wife came to talk to me.  She was concerned about her husband.  She explained that they had been attending the evangelical church for quite some time and her husband hadn’t gotten the gift of speaking in tongues like she had.  In her mind and heart that was a sign of being saved.  She wasn’t sure how she was going to stay with him since he obviously wasn’t saved.  She prayed about it . . . a lot.  Prayed for him to receive the gift of tongues.  Prayed because she did not think it was Christian to divorce her husband.  What was she going to do?

 

The poor guy couldn’t catch a break.  He prayed for the gift of tongues . . . and nothing changed.  He tried faking it . . . which just made his wife mad.  Through it all the wife insisted that she wasn’t sure that they could stay together, but divorce was out of the question.  Then, quite innocently, she asked, “Would it be wrong if I prayed for something to happen to my husband so God would take him away from me?” 

 

Such as what? I asked. She then informed me that maybe he would get sick or maybe a car accident.  To which I responded to her that it wouldn’t be a good idea. 

 

Like me this woman had a certain picture in her mind and heart of what the Holy Spirit’s presence would look like in a person’s life.  Like me she was looking for something more dramatic.  And, like me, what we were experiencing was far from the dramatic that we were being sold.  I imagine that we are not the only ones to experience and feel this . . . no, I suspect that it is probably more honest to say that most people fall into this category of the faithful.  Which raises the question of where is the Holy Spirit?

 

Years of faithful journey as a follower of Jesus and as a minister, I have come to know the Holy Spirit in a different way . . . a more intimate way . . . that is far from the drama we heard in our reading this morning or witnessed at a baptism or is marked by the gift of tongues.  Though for some the Spirit can be dramatic and abrupt, I think for most of us the Spirit is subtle, gentle, and more like a refreshing breeze than rushing wind.  And I believe that because God speaks to us all in different ways . . . intimate ways that fit our relationship with the Holy.

 

The Spirit is not gone!  The Spirit is with us . . . always with us!

 

There is nothing wrong with any of us if we experience the Holy Spirit in ways that are different from the descriptions we read in the scriptures or are told by others.  God is a mystery that is experienced in all sorts of ways that speaks to us . . . that reveals to us . . . the presence of God in the world around us.  It is not all drama.  More often than not it is in the common everyday movement of our lives that God’s spirit is encountered and experienced.

 

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to those who believed.  As the prophet Joel says: “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  The Spirit dwells within us and we must acknowledge the Spirit’s presence.  For some it may come in the form of a sudden epiphany like the Apostle Paul’s experience.  For others it may come as a gentle moment sitting by a mountain stream in which the Holy is exposed in the beauty of the landscape.  The Spirit moves in ways that are a mystery to us, but to the Spirit they are ways that open us to its presence. 

 

The Holy Spirit is not gone . . . no, it is there with us . . . always with us.  Think about those moments in your own life when you have been moved by the Spirit.  When have you experienced the movement of the Spirit?  Was it in some dramatic moment with rushing wind, dancing flames of fire, and speaking in languages foreign to you?  Or was it something more subtle . . . more gentle . . . more intimate?

 

There are moments within our worship service when we are singing particular hymns in which I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Those moments when the natural harmony comes into play dancing with the sound of our voices singing praise to God.  I can feel the Spirit . . . it sends chills up my spine.  That is the Spirit and it is here.

 

As we celebrate this day of Pentecost, let us not get hung up in expecting the Spirit’s presence to show up in one particular way and one way only.  Instead let us celebrate the broad love and grace of God’s presence that comes to us as individuals to form that connection . . . that intimate relationship . . . between us and God.  It is in that that the promise of Jesus is fulfilled.  It is in that we know within our hearts that we are God’s children.  Let us open our hearts and acknowledge the Spirit’s presence.  The Spirit has never left us!  We just need to acknowledge it for it is always with us.  Always!  Amen!

“Stand Firm” (I Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11)

How staunch are you when it comes to your faith?  That is the question being pursued this morning in our scripture reading.  There is debate on exactly when this letter was written . . . some argue that it was before the persecution of Christians by Romans, others argue that it was written during the height of Roman persecution of the Christians.  Either way, the writer is telling those who receive the letter that because they choose to be a follower of Jesus that they will face adversity for their faith.  In fact, the writer tells them that they should not be surprised, after all . . . Jesus suffered.

The writer tells the readers that it a “curse” and “blessing”, but they should not be surprised: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”  God is with you and if it was good enough for Jesus it should be good enough for you.  The key is “standing firm in the faith”.

 

The “fiery ordeal” mentioned by the writer comes in a variety of ways for those being written to.  They could be mocked and ridiculed by others who found their practices strange and peculiar compared to the standards of the time.  They could become isolated as family members abandon them because they have chosen to follow Jesus . . . to be one of his followers. None of which sounds bad . . . but the writer said, “fiery ordeal” and thus was referencing the experience of Jesus himself.  Jesus was mocked, ridiculed, ignored, and isolated by his family and culture, arrested, beaten, put on trial, and crucified.

 

I think that bumps the writer’s point into the “fiery ordeal” mentioned in the letter.

 

That’s the “curse” of following Jesus.  At the same time, the author mentions that there is also “blessing”.  The “blessing” comes in that God is with them throughout it all . . . including the “fiery ordeal” if it comes to that.  The writer tells them that they are “under God’s mighty hand” . . . “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”  God is with the faithful!  God will not abandon them!  Because of this the writer implores them to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

 

Thus, the message of the writer to those who read the letter is to get out there and be faithful . . . live like Jesus . . . be like Jesus.  Love the Lord.  Love others.  Strive for God’s Kingdom of inclusion where every one of God’s children . . . God’s creation . . . takes their rightful place at the table.

The faith the writer alludes to is not in words, but in action.

 

Which brings us to today and the question that was asked earlier: How staunch are you when it comes to your faith?

 

In our lifetimes we have seen change when it comes to the Christian faith.  Where we have seen a shift in attitudes towards the “church” and its “followers”.  As much as we would want it to be “business as usual” for the church and its followers, we have to admit that things have changed.  Looking back over nearly forty years as an ordained minister I think I ignored the subtle changes that were taking place.  “Christians” are not seen in favorable light like they once were.

 

Years ago, I began noticing that churches were changing their names.  Whereas they used to be identified by their denomination . . . for example, Joliet Christian Church . . . they started changing their names to hide their affiliation as a “church”.  Instead of First Christian Church or First Methodist Church, churches took on the names of Abundant Life, Harvest, Faith, or even Elevation . . . even Refuge which is the name of the newest congregation here in Joliet.  With such names there is less of a threat, less of a stigma.  Can you tell me what these churches represent when it comes to their beliefs or doctrine.  Refuge here in Joliet is a Southern Baptist Congregation.

 

I have always noticed the differentiation used more and more by Christians . . . the “us” and “them”.  Lines have been drawn to differentiate between theological beliefs . . . between “liberal” and “conservative” . . . between “left” and “right”.  How many times have you, in explaining your faith, have told another that you weren’t one of “those Christians”?  I will have to admit that for many years I have leaned away from telling others that I am a “Christian” and instead tell them that I identify myself as a “follower of Jesus”.

 

I believe the writer of our scripture reading this morning would argue that that is a matter of “semantics” . . . a matter of word play.  The writer would say that it is not the words we use to describe our faith that matters but the way that we live out our faith in daily matters.  It is our actions that define our faith and not our words.

 

But either way, it seems that being a person of faith is a lot riskier than it has been for a long time.  When it comes to survival you cannot blame a person for playing semantics in the matter of faith . . . who wants to come under the “fiery ordeal”?

 

Thus, it is that the writer tells us: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  And “stand firm in the faith”. Though I hate to use such terminology, there is a battle being waged and we should not shy away or lose our voice or presence in the thick of the “fiery ordeal”.  We are the ones who have declared ourselves to be the followers of Jesus.  We are the ones you have said we would pick up the cross before us and follow Jesus.  We are the ones who are the witness of Jesus to the world in which we live.  We are the ones called upon to love . . . to include . . . and to walk with others.

 

If not us . . . then who?

 

Jesus never said it would be easy to follow him.  The writer of our reading this morning reiterates it with the words he has written.  And we know it from experience and looking at the world around us.  It is tough to “stand firm” in the faith, but we are assured that if we do . . . God will be with us.  What more do we need.

 

Remember: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”