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Pentecost Sunday

30 May 2004

Written by the Rev Dr Phillippa Horrex of Wanganui

There are any number of creative ways to present the Pentecost story, from dance to readings or hymns in different languages. The reading from the Book of Acts may even be an opportunity to ask a congregation “What are your dreams and visions for the parish?” Pentecost for me has tended to be a time to experiment with the service of worship but I was intrigued when a friend attending a Pentecostal church commented that her church never celebrated Pentecost Sunday as a special day – the reason being that worship each Sunday was regarded as a time to celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

In light of this, a possible question to address this Pentecost is: “What does it mean to be a Pentecostal church?” This can be a challenging issue, especially for a more traditional Presbyterian Church, with set ideas of what being “Pentecostal” means!

A starter might be this quote from a sermon by Rev. David W. Russell, pastor, First Baptist Church of Ames, Iowa USA, preached on June 11, 2000.
“Every church, if it is really a church, is by definition a Pentecostal church. The church was born at Pentecost. Without Pentecost, there is no Church. The Church exists by the power of the Spirit. It is the Spirit that makes us more than a collection of individuals, it is the Spirit that makes us one in the Body of Christ, and so if we are really a church, we can’t help but be a Pentecostal church.”

Another way of exploring the wider meaning of Pentecost would be to examine the issues of diversity vs. unity found in the Old Testament reading, as opposed to the unity in diversity which appears in the Epistle reading.

Genesis 11:1-9
These verses are a response to the conclusion of the genealogies in Genesis 10 (vvs 5, 20, 31) which mention that Noah’s descendents had their own languages. The story of the tower of Babel not only explains how this came about, but also how the various peoples, once united, came to be scattered.

While it might seem strange for God to be destroying the unity of humanity in this way it must be recognised that the unity of these people is focused around the wrong thing - their own ability to establish themselves in the world apart from God. Therefore it was God’s way of humbling their pride in their own self-sufficiency. There are plenty of examples in today’s world to demonstrate that the unity of humanity will never be achieved while individuals or nations attempt to put themselves first.

Acts 2:1-21
Pentecost has often been called Babel in reverse. Because obviously the major point of contact between the Genesis story and Luke’s description of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at Pentecost, is the diversity of language. In Genesis the diversity of language was an attempt to illustrate the confusion that results when human beings attempt to go their own way without God. In Acts, while the focus is still on the diversity of language there is also an emphasis on the unity brought by the Holy Spirit. Although God’s gift of the Holy Spirit in power at Pentecost does not make all people speak the same language there is a unity created in the midst of diversity in as much as God enables the disciples to become witnesses of God’s grace.  Communication is restored, not only between humanity and God,  but between peoples of many languages.

It may be stretching the point but possibly the Holy Spirit as “advocate,” “paraclete,“ or “Spirit of truth“ as found in the Gospel reading  John 14: 8-17 (25-27) could be described as “the helper” who maintains the unity within the diversity of humankind. Jesus makes it clear he is going to the Father, but there is the promise of the coming of the Paraclete, who will be with us forever.  Notice that this continuing presence of the Paraclete is with the community rather than a promise to individuals. There is a contrast between the group with the Spirit's presence and those who are without it. In other words those who try to be self-sufficient and manage without God in their lives will not know the Spirit of truth. They will not know the peace Jesus promises.

(It appears the Psalm for today, 104: 24-34, 35b is used because of a brief mention of God’s creative Spirit in v 30. This reading may be used to examine this aspect of God or as a starting point for a sermon on ecological issues.)

Prayer
Lord God, thank you for this day of Pentecost
when we celebrate the coming of your promised Holy Spirit.
We give thanks that in eons past you poured out your Spirit on the earth, fashioning men and women in your image
to enjoy the wonders of nature you had created;
that you kept rescuing us from ourselves despite our foolish ways
and our lack of understanding of what it means to be your children.
Lord, we give you thanks that you have kept your promises throughout the ages, even when you despaired of our ever grasping the importance of placing you first in our lives, and that you took steps to show us the futility of our actions.
At Easter, through your Son, Jesus the Christ, you were glorified;
At Pentecost through your Holy Spirit you set the early church on fire
and led the disciples into the world to preach your Word.
May all praise and worship be yours!
Amen.