05/23/2021
Pentecost is charged with surprising drama and significance. While the moment in the manger a Christmas is hushed and the morning of the empty tomb is marked with confusion and disbelief, Pentecost comes in with a “woosh” of renewal and crackle of excitement. With the sound of rushing noise and mighty wind, tongues as of flames, and the outpouring of the languages of the whole Roman world spoken by unlearned Galilean fishermen; the age of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, is off and running.
In the text from John’s Gospel, we are hearing Jesus’ final words to the disciples where he once again reminds them of his imminent departure. Jesus also announces that they are not going to be alone when he leaves because he will send the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth from God to guide them in their continuing ministry. Notice that none of the disciples speak during John’s recounting of Jesus’ last discourse, and he acknowledges that their hearts are filled with sorrow. Jesus, the incarnate Christ, knows that the disciples do not understand what he is saying, nor do they want to hear any more about his leaving. After all, it has been a tough season for all of them; everything they have seen and experienced since Good Friday. They’ve been overwhelmed by his disappearance from the tomb, his reappearance in the Upper Room where they were holed up out of great fear and grief. Yet God, in God’s infinite wisdom, will not leave them cowering and hiding indefinitely. Indeed, the Advocate is coming to provide them, and you and I, with the courage to speak the truth about the life and ministry of Jesus.
Today, you and I are living in a time in which truth-telling is as critical as ever. The call to live into our mission of being TRUE to the Gospel beckons us into the ministry of St. John’s even more urgently. Recognizing that the Spirit of Truth is a gift that has been given to every Christian and prods us forward out of a year-and-a-half of a most difficult time of uniquely limiting ministry.
At certain points, our nation has been divided on the appropriate response to treatments and cures. There have been lockdowns and we were asked to shelter at home, socially distance from one another and mask up for weeks and then months. Some protested. Churchgoers became increasingly frustrated as in-person services were suspended. Some people protested that going to church ought not to be denied even in the face of a highly contagious virus. On the other hand, some pastors, priests, and other spiritual leaders urged us to consider what God was trying to say to the world by “loving our neighbor as ourselves.” That we were being urged to slow down, sit down and wait for the still small voice of God to give us new direction.
Our faith in God gives us three magnificent gifts. God promises us the gift of eternal life if we will believe and follow the Way of Christ. Jesus gives us the gift of love. He modeled love and urged us to love each other as he loves us. Beyond human love and intimacy, Jesus offers us “agape” love, unconditional love that can only come from God. The Holy Spirit then descended to forever tie us to that love of God and the presence of our Savior. The Advocate came to encourage us to devoutly and unapologetically speak the truth to a world desperately in need of the truth of the Gospel. The truth that we are all divinely created in the image of God. So let us embrace the Advocate, and with great courage proclaim the good news that God is love and we all have an invitation to share in the beauty and wonder of God’s enormous capacity to hold us close.
When we feel innately loved, we are much more likely to extend that love to others, including strangers, neighbors, and especially those who do not look like us. Whenever it becomes difficult to determine how to share the love of God with others; go back to the basics, the parables, and review the lessons that Jesus shared with us. Think of the Good Samaritan who showed such compassion for the injured stranger in the road. Think of the woman at the well, who went to get a jug of water for cooking and feeding the animals and, instead, received the gift of grace that washed away her sins and cleansed her soul. Think of the love of the resurrected Jesus, who loved us so much he was willing to go to the cross for our sins.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, on this Feast of Pentecost, as we come to the table of our Savior to accept the gifts of Holy Communion, let us also receive the holy and everlasting gifts of presence of the Advocate, who guides us to be our very best selves. We can exude the light of God because the Advocate strengthens us. So “with God being our helper,” proclaim the truth from the sanctuary, the rooftops, and the mountaintops – even down in the valleys where people are hurting.
We are loved by God and our mission is to go out and spread that love in our communities and across the world. When we are unsure where we are going or how we will be received, we are exhorted to lean on the Advocate who will provide the strength that we need to help heal our broken world.