Musical Prelude and Service.

Acts 2:1-21 & John 20:19-23
When we think of the Holy Spirit, what is the image that comes immediately to mind? Is it one of
comfort? Is it soothing and nurturing?
We will sing Spirit of Life, come unto me. We sing Spirit of gentleness. They all touch at part of what
the Spirit means to us. But, the Spirit of God is so much more, isn’t it?
Today, we read a story where God’s Spirit comes to the Apostles closed off in a room. It is like a
great wind blowing through that room and then the spirit lights upon each of these followers of Jesus
like a tongue of flame upon their heads. Flame; fire. These are the images of the spirit we are
treated to on this day. This is a very different image of the spirit. Not a dove and not a gentle breath.
This is a wildfire. It is a reminder that the Spirit cannot be contained. It cannot be controlled and held
in one place. We get to chose how we will respond to and act with the Spirit.
“When the day of Pentecost had come.”
The Christian church has grabbed onto Pentecost and made it one of the most important dates on
our liturgical calendar. It is generally regarded as the day the Church, the body of Christ, essentially
burst forth as the Apostles were moved by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Good News of Christ to the
whole world. But we can forget in all of this, that Pentecost was already a Jewish festival. It was a
celebration and feast of the spring harvest; the gathering of the first fruits so to speak.
This is why so many people from around the empire had gathered in Jerusalem. Jews from all over
the Mediterranean world were gathered to celebrate and give thanks for God’s generosity and
constant presence and work in the world. And as they were celebrating and gathering to eat
together, these followers of Jesus were gathered in a room; closed off from the activity of the world
and praying. Until the spirit came upon them and showed them a different way of being in God’s
world.
They burst from this room and begin proclaiming the story of Jesus, the Christ. Not just in the one
language they knew, but in the many languages of the people who were on the street with them.
The multitude of languages spoken in that place.
In the story of Babel, God stops a bid to reach God by dividing the gathered people by giving them
different languages so they can’t understand one another and cannot communicate.
Here, God enables the apostles to connect with everyone by giving them the ability to speak in all the
languages. God does not demand everyone speak the same language to learn of God’s love. God
comes to us in the language we speak. God meets us where we are.
In the story from John’s Gospel, the disciples are hiding in a closed room, uncertain of what they are
supposed to do next. They are still trying to understand all that has happened. Mary has shared the
news of Jesus’s resurrection, but that hasn’t cured their inertia.
It is not until Jesus comes to them in that locked room and speaks with them that they break out of
their lethargy. Jesus reassures them that he remains with them, and Jesus accompanies them as
they find the courage and the purpose to go forward.
Fire is a vital part of the human experience. Fire offers us warmth. It provides life and it is crucial to
cooking and cleansing. But it is also dangerous. Fire is destructive. Under the reign of Nero, a fire
destroys a huge part of Rome. A volcano; fire and molten lava burst from the earth to destroy the
cities of Pompey and Herculaneum. Fire can and does bring death with it.
This is an image of fire and of the spirit that we must be prepared to confront. Yes, the Holy Spirit of
God can and is comforting. It offers us reassurance and strength in times of trial. But the Holy Spirit
can also be absolutely frightening. Because the Holy Spirit not only reminds us of God’s enduring
presence, but it also heralds change or transformation.
It can be a brutal and heart-rending lesson, but as much as the Spirit of God brings new life with it,
that almost always comes with the awareness of something else dying.
I’ve shared this story before, but in 1925 when the United Church was about to come into being with
a celebration of union, Congregational Church of Canada met for the final time. With its commitment
to being a part of this new church, the national assembly of that historic church cast their ballots and
voted themselves out of existence. I have no doubt there were many broken hearts in that room. I
am certain a great many people wondered if what they were doing was a betrayal of so many saints
who came before them growing and nurturing their church. But they felt moved by God’s spirit to
end one way of life and be part of bringing something new into being.
The Holy Spirit cannot be contained. It cannot be controlled. Change and transformation comes in its
wake. God is not interested in maintaining the status quo. God is not interested in holding onto the
way we have always done things.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we should thoughtlessly throw away the lessons of the past and
the wisdom we have gained from the lessons learned, often through hard practice.
But we must also remember that all too often the status quo only comforts and brings peace to those
who are already in power. God promises justice and care for those who are poor; those who are
hungry. God urges us to visit those who are in prison and care for the widow and orphan. God urges
us to welcome the stranger and to heal those who are ill.
I wonder about those first disciples. Those who met in a locked room, seeking peace and time with
friends in prayer while outside on the street the city, celebrated a version of what we would call
thanksgiving. All of a sudden, they are moved to go out on to those streets and find themselves
speaking in different languages – to share the message of God’s love with perfect strangers, in a
language they had never spoken before. Were they excited and filled with wonder over this event?
Maybe. But I also suspect they were more than a little frightened. Once again, they are reminded of
God’s power and presence. Once again, they are told that God has a plan for them, and they won’t
be returning to their boring and uncomplicated lives.
Something new is happening and what seemed normal and predictable is long gone. God has a plan,
and these disciples are very much a part of it. The spirit is on the move. Try and keep up.
I can’t point to anything in particular that is quite as dramatic as this story happening in our
community. But I would argue we have signs of God’s spirit working in and around us.
New tenants in our church building comes immediately to mind. That has certainly forced us to say
goodbye to a particular way of working and being in this building. But it brings new opportunities.
It brings new life.
What else can we see at work? What other ways has the Spirit moved in and amongst us?
Perhaps exciting us; perhaps frightening us. Forcing us to say goodbye to some things, and also
comforting us with signs of new life growing right in front of us?
The spirit can be like a gentle wind or a soft breath, comforting and urging us in new directions.
Or it can be a stronger wind pushing us in ways we never considered or were afraid to move. And it
can bring fire; warming us and exciting us, but also burning down structures that held us; but also
imprisoned us in old and confining ways.
The spirit can force us to reimagine our world and our ways of life. May we always be open to
hearing God in times of comfort and in times of chaos, that we may see our way forward with peace
and love and a hope for justice and compassion. Thanks be to God. Amen
Rev. Warner Bloomfield

Music provided with permission through licensing with CCLI License number
2701258 and One License # A-731789