The Day of Pentecost
June 3, 2001

"I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever," Jesus told the disciples. "The Spirit of truth to be in you." With such words, Jesus made it clear to them that they would not be left alone. The Spirit would be with them. They had recognized that the Spirit guided Jesus. So the same Spirit would dwell in them. With the help of the Spirit they would do great works. In fact, it was Jesus' expectation that they would accomplish even more than he had. They would be released from behind the locked doors that held them captive following his death and resurrection. In Greek it says that they would be 'enthused' which means literally 'God filled'. They would be released into a world in need of the transforming grace of God, released into the world as channels of God's peace.

So when the day of Pentecost came, it is no surprise that they were all gathered together in one place. They were waiting expectantly for the fulfillment of Jesus' words. And what an extraordinary change took place in them! A few frightened people huddled behind locked doors in an upper room, were transformed into a vibrant, outgoing community of faith. In their enthusiasm, they took the message of the resurrection to the streets. They went public. They became Christ Incarnate in the world.

We meet Sunday by Sunday as a community of believers. There is a power in meeting together, in sharing our experience with other Christians of how the Spirit is at work in our lives. Part of our witness as Christians derives from gathering in a particular place in order to share the faith. Yet I sense that more often than not we see church as an isolated incident in our lives. We might share a small part of ourselves on occasion, for example, something traumatic that has happened in our lives. For example, consider how the community comes together for a funeral. We may share some happiness in our lives. But most of the time we have no idea about the kind of pain and unhappiness that is going on in another person’s life.

That is tragic, for good things happen when we begin to see ourselves as a gathered community. It is our gathering that strengthens us in our faith. It is our gathering that allows compassion and comfort to flow out to those in need. But most important of all, it is our gathering that equips us to go out with the message of the resurrection, to go out enthused – God filled. It is through our gathering as the whole people of God that we, like the disciples become Christ Incarnate in the world.

The secular world accepts, and even understands many of our faith symbols. There is a general acceptance of the symbols associated with Christmas. The giving of gifts, Christmas trees, even the manger scene is tolerated in most circles. The cross is a recognized and accepted image. Those who give only nominal acceptance to the faith often wear the cross as a piece of jewellery.

But the Pentecostal experience, the symbol of fire, and praying in tongues, and the kind of enthusiastic response which goes with it, are at the very least embarrassing, and probably more to the point, totally incomprehensible. Incomprehensible not only to the secular world it seems, but also to many Christians. If we associate the events of Pentecost with Christianity in any particular form, it is with the charismatic elements of our faith. The tendency is to view charismatics with skepticism and alarm, sometimes deservedly so. I have heard a charismatic described as "a person who grabs you by the lapels and says 'you must speak in tongues'." And sadly that kind of exclusivity has often been the focus of such groups.

But Pentecost is an important event in the life of every Christian. It is after all, the birthday of the Church. We all need to find a way to express what happened at Pentecost in our lives. Jesus makes it clear that, just as the Spirit was made available to the disciples, so the Spirit would be with us working in us. That makes it pretty evident to me that we are called to be enthused with the Spirit, to be God filled.

The experience of Pentecost is about how we begin to express that in our lives. Sometimes there are no words to express what we want to say about God. We grope for the right words. We sit in silence and soak in the beauty of a sunset. We dance. We sing. We pray. We express the Spirit in whatever way is right for us.

Do we really know that the Spirit is in us? The Spirit waits to be released and used as the greatest resource for living that we possess. Pentecost is about the energy and strength that come from being enlivened by God's Spirit. It is about freedom from fear and release from the locked door mentality. It is about the power to transform lives. It is about celebrating the diverse ways in which God's Spirit works.

But most of all, it is about doing greater things than Jesus did. "The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these." Can we even comprehend that? It is not enough to simply go on thinking that what we do is enough. Jesus healed the sick. He ate and drank with outcasts and sinners. He freed people from bondage.

We all have Spiritual gifts. If we used our gifts as God would have us, they could transform the world. The mark of a gift of God is its ability to transform those it touches. Which gifts can you identify in yourself? Which gifts can you see in others in our community? Reflect for a moment about the gift that is yours. Is it your gift to bring joy or hope to others? Do you have a gift of compassion? Are you one who easily encourages others and brings out the best in them? Do you bear the prophetic word? Do you have a dream for this place? Are you a visionary?

Whatever your gift, I encourage you to name it. Write it down on a piece of paper and place it on the offering plate. No one will read it. It will be your recognition of God's grace at work in your life. And perhaps it will help you to understand where God is calling you. The Holy Spirit is a great gift of God. It waits to be released and used as the greatest resource for living which we possess. Jesus was guided by the Spirit. That same Spirit is there to guide us. With the help of the Spirit we can do even more than Christ did. That is what Pentecost is all about! It is about the energy and strength that God has for us.