May 23, 2021
Sermon by Rev. B. Hartsough
Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the church, the Sunday we spend time focusing on the Holy Spirit. Hence the color red around the church. The Holy Spirit is very relevant to us as the church. In baptism we invoke the Holy Spirit to give us a new birth. It is a birth into the life of Christ-the family of the church. Let’s look at some characteristics of the Holy Spirit and then how the Holy Spirit defines who we are as the church.
The Ezekiel reading from the Old Testament portrays the Holy Spirit as the power that gives us life and that sustains us. In Hebrew scripture, the Holy Spirit was also known as the source of power that gave humans abnormal skills to prophesize, have wisdom, strength, inspiration, good moral judgement…. etc. These skills were given to lead, guide, and benefit the community.
This Ezekiel passage also known as the dry bones reading, is a reading that is read at the Easter Vigil. It is read at the Easter Vigil as a reminder that God, through the Holy Spirit breathes life into us. The Holy Spirit is the power that sustains us.
The psalmist today says of God, “You send forth your spirit and they are created, and so you renew the face of the earth.” The Holy Spirit renews and sustains all of creation. It is the life force.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus was gone. Jesus was how God was revealed to the early disciples. Jesus’s work would continue with the Holy Spirit-the Advocate-the Paraclete. In this passage, the Holy Spirit empowers the community of disciples to uncover the truth, to seek grace, and to do what is right and just. Jesus’s absence- his ascension- brought a new era not an end. The early disciples were receptive to the Holy Spirit- the Advocate. It was the Advocate that led the disciples to have the strength and the courage to act for truth and justice. Working for justice and truth are continuing God’s work in the world.
Today in the Acts of the Apostles the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples and they speak in tongues. Peter’s speech to the crowd quotes the prophet Joel, “God declares that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.” It signals the beginning of the church as the disciples proclaim Jesus to all nations. Those who received the Spirit were from all races, ages, genders, and socioeconomic classes. Peter calls on the listeners to repent, have faith, be baptized and be open to receiving the Holy Spirit.
The last days and signs that Peter mentions could be referring to the signs Jesus did and to his death and resurrection. Jesus’s death, resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit ushered in a new era. The era of the church as the way that God works in the world.
Pentecost gives us-the church our mission statement. Pentecost Sunday defines the church.Here are a few points about our mission as a church.
The first point of Pentecost is that the church exists to proclaim that Jesus offers salvation to all. All people, all races, all socioeconomic groups, all genders, all ages, all languages. Think-who doesn’t get to do church and to be part of a church? I think about those who are physically challenged. For three Sundays in the spring of 2001, my boys, and some friends of mine pushed a man, Paul in a wheelchair to church. His assisted living home was three blocks from the church across a busy street. He wanted to go to church. We didn’t have a van to transport him, so we wheeled him to church. It was awkward for some people but for Paul it meant the world. We did this three times. A few people in church took the time to get to know him. We couldn’t continue because of liability issues. Apparently, it was dangerous to wheel him across the street. Paul is an example of someone who needed to be part of a church. He was someone that we could offer hospitality to. There is a whole section of the population who don’t attend church. In Jesus’s times, they were the ones shunned from the temple and the synagogues. The ones who didn’t fit into mainstream society. Jesus went to those people. Today I think of nursing homes, prisons, the homeless, and those in low-income housing. When I think about who needs to hear Jesus’s message I think: Who doesn’t have a church family? Why not? What is the barrier? Transportation? Language? Money? Appearance? Mobility?
The second point of Pentecost is that the church is universal. The universal church consists of churches that believe Jesus is the messiah and the church is His witness in the world. Some churches are in communion with other churches. In communion is a first step to recognizing that we are all a part of the universal church. Churches in communion share clergy, prayers, and services. For example, the Episcopal Church in the United States is in full communion with the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, (the ELCA), the Moravian Church, some orthodox churches, and others.
The third point of Pentecost is that Christ is central to the church’s identity. Jesus Christ is why we exist. We don’t exist because we are St. Thomas founded in Plymouth in 1861. As wonderful as that is, that is not why we exist. We don’t exist because we are Episcopalians. We exist because Christ is our center, and the Holy Spirit gives us life and direction.
The last point of Pentecost is that the church has the authority and the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the story of Jesus. As baptized members of the church, the family of Jesus, we are given the authority to proclaim Jesus by words and actions. It includes uncovering truth, working for justice, and having an attitude of receptivity to listen to and follow the Holy Spirit. Jesus did these things, and we do these things. The Holy Spirit works on us as individual believers who then work together in community.
In a few moments we will renew our baptismal vows and we will consecrate bread and wine. We will invoke the power of God through the Holy Spirit. Think about it. Accept it. Breathe it in. Feel it. Live it as we continue to be the church.