1. Good Morning! It’s Pentecost Sunday. What does that mean?
When I ask that question a slew of thoughts come immediately to mind. Let me ask you for your thoughts – just give me short one or two word answers if you can.
Invite the congregation to share their thoughts. Bring the following out:
· The end of the 50 days of the Easter Season[1]
· The outpouring of the Holy Spirit
· Beginning of the Church
· Empowered by the Holy Spirit
· Minister In His strength not in my own
· Unity over and against disunity – fragmentation
· Communion with God instead of separation from God
· Continuing of Christ’s ministry in His Spirit
What about:
· Reversal of the curse of the Tower of Babel
· Return to the unity that was lost at Babel
· We can now speak in one language – united in Christ by the Holy Spirit
So these are the ideas that come to the surface when we think about the Day of Pentecost. They’re important and they enrich and inform our reflections on this day of days.
What I want us to focus on this morning are these two framing questions:
· What does the day of Pentecost mean to me – to us - today? and
· What difference can that first the Day of Pentecost make in my life today?
In other words is it all just history or is there more?
The question that drove my reflections and writing of this sermon were very similar – it went like this,
“What can be said by me – empowered by the Spirit of Pentecost – that could open the minds and hearts of you, my Christian brothers and sisters, to the reality of who you are in Christ and what He is calling you and me to be and to do by the power of His Holy Spirit?
How can the words that I speak today make our lives more meaningful, my loving, more peaceful, more serene – more demonstrative of the reality of the Spirit of Pentecost in us?
Ha! Doesn’t sound like too much of a challenge does it?
Let me begin at the Tower of Babel!
We come across it in Gen 11:1-9. Archeologists date the building of the tower of Babel sometime between 3500 and 2400 B.C.
In Gen 11:1 we read that “All the earth had one language and common words."
There has been universal agreement from the beginning right up to the present that Gen 11:1 means that every human being on earth was speaking the same language until God "confused the language" at the tower of Babel.
It’s also believed that the Tower of Babel was a Ziggurat which is a structure which takes the form of a terraced pyramid, with a flat platform at its apex.
From archaeological evidence, historians surmise that the Sumerians and Babylonians viewed ziggurats as homes of the gods, and access to them appears to have been restricted to priests and other religious officials.
Now please turn your attention to the video screen and let’s see what happened at the Tower of Babel:
By the way – remember that this occurred just after the Flood:
Gen. 11:1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
Gen. 11:3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
Gen. 11:5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
Gen. 11:8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel—because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
And so it was that the world ever since this pivotal incident was in disunity – fragmented – tribalized. Broken up into warring groups – things haven’t changed very much over the millennia have they?
Now perhaps, with this in mind, we can get a better, richer, grasp of what the Day of Pentecost meant and means to our world!
To bring a halt to the arrogance of the human race, God caused division through different languages.
Can you see how the day of Pentecost reversed this ancient curse that separated human beings from their neighbors?
Please turn briefly with me to our First Reading – Acts 2 beginning at verse 1:
Acts 2:1 When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. 3 Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, 4 and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.
Acts 2:5 There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. 6 When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. 7 They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? 8 How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues? Acts 2:9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene; Immigrants from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes; Even Cretans and Arabs! “They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works!”
Can you see how this was a complete reversal of the curse of the Tower of Babel?
Can any of us draw any theological conclusions from this “sea change” – this cosmological shift? From curse to blessing – from endemic war to potential peace!
What happens when we come out from under a divine curse?
This is the message of Jesus Christ – peace has been restored! This is the Gospel – the Good, good, good news!
Pentecost reversed Babel. Language was no longer a barrier to people hearing and responding to the message that St. Peter went out and boldly preached.
But it’s really more than about language isn’t it? The language is merely an accident of something more fundamental isn’t it.
In Christ we become united in ONE – I repeat – ONE SPIRIT!
People from every corner of the known world heard the Gospel in their own tongue and saw the fruit of the One Spirit manifesting itself in people!
A NEW UNITY WAS POSSIBLE FOR HUMANITY!
Unity was once again possible as followers of the Son of Man – Jesus Christ!
Pentecost celebrates the fullness of the Spirit and the great gathering of nations!
But to what end – why did God withdraw the curse of Pentecost?
Ahh!! For our answer we must turn to our Second Reading and ultimately to the Gospel of St. John.
Please turn with me briefly to 1Corinthians 12:3-
7, 12-13:
1Cor. 12:3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
1Cor. 12:4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
1Cor. 12:7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
1Cor. 12:12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
It’s about unity – community – restoration – reconciliation!!!
The many become one! Enemies become friends. “They” became “We.” And so on!
And that same theme is found in our Gospel reading.
Please turn briefly with me to the Gospel of John chapter 20 beginning at verse 19 and as I read remember that the event we’re reading about occurred on the evening of the first Easter Sunday – not on the day of Pentecost 50 days hence:
John 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace Peace (ei˙rh/nh - a state of well-being, peace) be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
John 20:21 Again Jesus said, “Peace (ei˙rh/nh - a state of well-being, peace) be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Did you hear that? Jesus “breathed on them?”
He - e˙mfusa¿w emphusao. It means to blow; to breath into or upon: to breath on for the purpose of transmitting the Holy Spirit.
Theologians refer to this as the “First Pentecost.”
One theologian had this to say about it:
“In line with what seems to have been the more mainstream early tradition, the Gospel, John 20:19-23, associates the imparting of the Spirit more closely with the resurrection and exaltation of the Lord. So it’s on the evening of the first day of the week that Jesus appears to the disciples, makes clear His identity and imparts to them the “peace” that overcomes their fear. Then He imparts the Spirit to empower them to take up the mission that He Himself has received from the Father. Essentially, it’s a mission of “reconciliation.” He has died as the “Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29, 36; 19:36.) From now on that capacity to reconcile in God’s name is in their hands and thus you had the inauguration of the apostolic ministry.” Brendan Byrne SJ.
Can you see it?
This is what God wants to say to us this morning – Our mission is His – to bring His reconciling love – the reconciling love of God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and God to Son – to the world which up till this day was still under the curse of Babel!
From this point on the love of God in the Person and Power and Presence of the Holy Spirit was to be spread over the face of the earth by us!
That’s our charge – to be who we are in the world – children of God – ministers of His Word – sacraments, as it were - of His Presence - empowered by the majestic and palpable Presence of His Holy Spirit!
When Jesus Christ came to earth – the Kingdom of God fell with Him to earth and with the coming of the Holy Spirit – the ministry that Jesus Christ inaugurated exploded into the world through the head, heart and body of everyone of us who are filled with Christ’s Spirit!
And the Holy Spirit is the bringer of the Kingdom and it’s most palpable manifestation is experienced in God’s reconciling love!
Christians just can’t stay angry with one another or with anyone else. Sooner or later they will be reconciled. It’s impossible for Christians to remain otherwise for very long!
So let’s briefly explore what this means for us today . . .
On that first Day of Pentecost the Spirit of God – the Holy Spirit - came to earth and entered and will always enter those who give their heartfelt allegiance to their resurrected Lord Jesus Christ!
Everyone who IS a Christian has the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Jesus Christ – in them . . .
· guiding them –
· gifting them –
· empowering them –
· sanctifying them with one goal in mind –
o to bring heaven to earth –
o to bring love to earth –
o to bring reconciliation to the entire earth.
No more division – no more double mindedness – no more have’s and have not’s – no more lords and slaves – no more rich and poor!
Listen to Mary’s Magnificat if you really want to know that the coming of the Holy Spirit meant and will increasingly come to mean:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
Can we all see that Christians have a mission while here on earth – something to do – something to accomplish and at the bottom of it all is the call for reconciliation – to love – to restore heaven on earth!
That’s what you are I are to be about every minute of every hour of every day of every month of ever year until we die.
If that is not what we’re ultimately doing then who are we and who do we really serve? Who really is our god?
Conclusion: Over the last 7 Sundays of the Easter Season we have focused on the theme of “Stepping Up!” - Stepping up to our Calling as Christians! Being who we are supposed to be!
I wonder have any of us “stepped up” our game?
· Have any of us extended ourselves beyond where we’re comfortable?
· Have we spoken to our friends, neighbors, or even a stranger about Jesus Christ and what He means to us and what He could mean to them?
I wonder . . . .
Do you?
Do you ever wonder if our Lord is over joyed with your faithful discipleship?
Do you ever wonder if our Lord desires more from you?
Ask Him!
Let’s all ask Him right now . . .
Let’s pray . . .
[1] Pentecost was originally an Old Testament festival, since the time of Josephus calculated as beginning on the fiftieth day after the beginning of Passover. In the Christian calendar, it falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter. It was called the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), and in the Old Testament was originally an agricultural festival celebrating and giving thanks for the "first fruits" of the early spring harvest (Lev 23, Exod 23, 34).
