The Rev. Sara Warfield
Scriptures: Acts 2:1-21; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13; John 7:37-39
Today is a big deal in the capital-C Church. It’s up there with Christmas and Easter, though it never took off culturally as much as the other two did—probably because presents and chocolate bunnies aren’t involved. But Jesus is involved—in all of these days, in all seven of the Principle Feast Days of the Church. For Christmas, it’s Jesus’ birth. For Easter, it’s Jesus’ resurrection. For the Epiphany, it’s acknowledgment that Jesus is the savior come in human form. For the Ascension, it’s the bringing of the risen Jesus back to God. For Trinity Sunday, next Sunday, it’s Jesus and his place with the Creator and the Spirit. For All Saints, it’s Jesus’ redemption of all who have died.
And finally, today, Pentecost. The fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that he would send the Holy Spirit into the world to be God’s presence with us as Jesus was once God’s presence with us.
Our scriptures today describe the Spirit in slightly different ways. Early in his ministry, Jesus says of the Spirit, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.” The Spirit here is a source of nourishment for those who believe, providing strength when we’re weary, comfort when we’re in despair, and strength when we’re afraid. Then, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ Just as the Spirit nourishes us, we are called to nourish those around us.
Then there is the actual day of Pentecost. First, the Spirit comes as a wind, as a breath, and alights on each of the disciples as a tongue of fire. Then the fire spreads. “Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.”
The Spirit, the people of Jerusalem discover, wipe away that which divides them, particularly when it comes to language. Suddenly, they can understand each other. They can hear and know one another’s story first-hand. The Spirit seeks to dissolve the boundaries that keep them apart so that they can become one people, one Church.
Finally, in his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul is specifically addressing how the people there celebrate the gift of speaking in tongues above all other gifts. (And listen I’m not going to get into what “speaking in tongues” means here. That’s a whole other sermon.) Suffice it to say that speaking in tongues was all the rage in Corinth. The community treated it as more important, more impressive than, say, teaching or healing or tending to the poor.
Not so fast, Paul writes to them:
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
In this passage, Paul purposely puts speaking in tongues towards the bottom of his list of gifts to emphasize that the Spirit blesses each and every one of us with unique gifts that are essential to the thriving of all of us. Some of those gifts may be quieter or simpler or executed with no one around to see them, but they are not only of equal importance to the flashier gifts, they are critical to the well-being of our world.
The Spirit helps you to see that every person you encounter is essential to your thriving, and you are essential to theirs, even if none of you can see how in that moment.
Nourishment, understanding, the bringing together of very different parts to form one Body. This is what the coming of the Spirit brings to us. And it is also what the Spirit calls us to.
What is it that makes you essential to the whole Body of Christ? What do you offer in order to bridge the divides between your neighbors? How does the Spirit nourish you so that you may go out and be a nourishing presence to others? This is what you are invited to think about and celebrate today.
When you came in, I hope you were able to grab a red ribbon in the Narthex, that’s entryway in Episcopal speak, and write down on it how the Spirit comes alive in a unique way in you. If you didn’t get the chance, I give you permission when the bell rings to go back, grab one and read the instructions and write down a few words. If you’re on Zoom, you won’t have a red ribbon, but I do invite you to write down your gift.
If you have already written on your ribbon, when the bell rings I invite you to hold that ribbon in your hands and think about all the people who have been impacted by you and your gift. In fact, whether you’re here or on Zoom, that will be your practice until you come up for the ritual.
I’ll invite you to do so after the bell rings for the second time. You can come up with your ribbon and be anointed in the power of the Spirit to have the courage and wisdom to live into the gifts she has given you. And yes, Zoomers, I’ll offer you a virtual anointing.
And then I’ll invite you to set your ribbon on the altar so that we may see our gifts gathered into one body in one place and give our thanks to God for creating us the way we were created and for bringing us together so that—just by each of us being ourselves and fully living into our unique gifts of the Spirit—we may manifest God’s kingdom, God’s grace, God’s love here and now.
Amen.
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