Pentecost Day B ‑‑ May 20, 2018 Panzer Liturgical Service, Stuttgart, Germany
Acts 2:1‑21, John 15:26‑27; 6:4b‑15, Romans 8:12‑17 Confirmation Sunday
If you line them up, the Christian feast day of the Pentecost would be considered the third most important holy day of the church year, after Easter and Christmas. It is built on the foundations of a Jewish commemoration which celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai and the end of the Spring harvest season. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann says, “Pentecost is the moment when gestation ceases and birthing occurs. Thus, it is both an end and a beginning, the leaving behind of that which is past, the launching forth into that which is only now beginning to be. Pentecost, therefore, is not a time of completion. It is moving forward into new dimensions of being, whose basic forms are clear, but whose fulfillment has yet to be realized.”[i]
That year, Jerusalem was flooded with Jews who had come in from every corner of the world to celebrate this important festival. On a day to day basis, Jerusalem probably had a split personality – part Jewish capital and part Roman colony. But at festival time, Jerusalem became more like the city of its former glory. One of the important things to know is that those who heard Peter’s sermon were not there to hear about Jesus or in anticipation of the Holy Spirit coming. For them, Pentecost was already a thing. They were there to celebrate what they already believed about God. It was seven weeks – 50 days – after Passover, which coincidentally is also 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Pentecost reminded Jews of power that the Torah – the Law – had to give them. It fixed their identity as a holy nation and priestly people. But on this day, Pentecost is transformed by the Holy Spirit to breathe life in the Jesus’ people – the Church, uniting them in Christ. To all, the festival expressed the inclusivity of God, and how identities are formed and shaped by God if we allow it.
For many days after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the disciples and other followers kept a low profile. They waited, maybe in fear or uncertainty. They waited to see what would come next. And then the wind and the fire descended. Those gathered were driven in the streets, and Spirit-led, Peter preached a sermon which converted many right on the spot, the first of many revivals to come. Three thousand converted in one day. Soon afterward, these new followers were sharing a community lifestyle, caring for those who had the most need.
In some ways, we are like those waiting disciples. We know who Jesus is, but we’re waiting around to see what comes next. But I think that to celebrate Pentecost most authentically, we have to blow our covers and come out of the shadows. It’s one thing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and even to grieve the death of Jesus and celebrate his resurrection. But Pentecost requires something more than pondering or thinking about Jesus. Pentecost demands that we affirm our baptisms, whether we remember them or not, and publicly proclaim Jesus as Lord. This means living out the gospel in everything we do, taking the words of Jesus seriously when he reminded us that the whole gospel message is wrapped up in the promise to love God and our neighbor in all we do.[ii]
This has been the main focus in our Confirmation classes. Faith in Christ is not just knowing about Jesus, it is knowing and trusting Jesus. It is not just about belief, it is about talking the talk and walking the walk. And the Christian journey is not accomplished alone, but in community, with those who will learn and struggle and serve, side by side.
An alternate Old Testament lesson for this Sunday comes from Ezekiel 37 in the story of the valley of the dry bones. In Ezekiel’s dream, the LORD takes Ezekiel to a valley of dry bones and asked him, “Can these bones live?” Like Ezekiel, we answer “No.” But God proves him wrong, and the bones come together as skeletons, soon covered with muscle and flesh and skin. But it wasn’t until God’s breath came like a rushing wind from the four corners of the earth that these bones became alive… a living, breathing army of the LORD.
That is the Pentecost story… God breathes into us eternal life, just like God breathed life into the figure made out of the earth in the Creation story. The wind and fire of Pentecost are not just symbolic of the presence of God in this new Church, but they filled them with life. After that day, no one was the same. Instead of hiding in an upper room waiting to figure out what would happen next, they were propelled by the Spirit to go into the word and proclaim a message that by its very nature could get them killed… that Jesus is Lord, not Caesar, and that the key to a meaningful and fulfilling life is love, not power or wealth or tradition.[iii]
Living in the shadow of Pentecost means that we can’t just sit around and talk about being Jesus followers. We have to do something. And we have to do it together. In our last class, we talked about how life in Christ, being a Christian, is not something that can be easily, and I argue accomplished well if we are not in relationship with other people. Dating myself, I remembered the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks. Do you remember it? Hanks character was a FedEx employee who was stranded alone on an island after the jet he was riding in had a catastrophic failure, crashing into the ocean. He washed ashore with assorted packages, and for some time believed that it was only a matter of time before he would be rescued. But days, months and years passed, and while he was able to make a shelter and find food and water (with great difficulty), it eventually seemed that his real demise would come through loneliness. It was only upon finding a volleyball, which he named Wilson, and conversing with it that he was able to experience community, thus keeping hope alive.
In our Gospel lesson, Jesus speaks to his disciples of his imminent death and their yet unrecognized concerns over what will happen when he’s gone. And here, Jesus promises them an Advocate and Comforter, to be their guide, their interpreter, the fuel of their passion and their courage to speak the truth about justice and righteousness in love. This same Spirit calls us into community.
In our Acts lesson, all of these people have gathered speaking different languages. As Peter spoke, they all understood his message in their own tongues, magnifying the miraculous nature of this encounter. Unity was the word of the day – perhaps the for the first time since the Tower of Babel was raised and the people were scattered to speak different languages and live separate lives. Community has been restored. And with the Spirit propelling them forward, they will become us.
There are many ways to talk about growing in faith. For traditions that baptize infants, confirmation is part of that spiritual journey. Please remember this:
1) It is not graduation. This is the beginning of a new chapter of faith for these young people. If my Confirmation friends have learned or heard anything helpful, we may not know it until later. Together we have learned about grace, about the sacraments, about spiritual disciples, about the Bible, and about our life together. Our lessons have sowed seeds which will germinate and field a harvest – tomorrow and in the years to come.
2) Confirmation is not just about freedom – it is also about responsibility. We spent a lot of time talking about seeing the world through the lens of faith. Where do we see the gospel story being lived out? Where are we being called into that story? Who will be the people that will support us in our mission to be followers of Jesus? What are the tools we need to take that journey together? What kinds of behaviors are expected of us as we see to be the hands and feet and voices of Christ in the world? Those are difficult and life-long questions… ones I hope none of us ever stops asking.
For many people, the Christian faith is defined by the language of having a personal relationship with Christ. “Are you saved?” ‘Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” “Are you sure if you died tonight that you’d go to heaven?” These are the questions that peppered my youth and young adulthood. I knew Christ. I don’t ever remember not knowing him. I knew that God loved me, just because I’m me. I experienced Jesus in my family life and in church. Family lore relates my displeasure as a 6-year-old at not being allowed to take communion up front with my dad. My mom, the church organist, says she heard me quite clearly yelling as my dad ushered me out of church, “I’m supposed to be at that table… I’m baptized.”
After his retirement, investment fund creator John Templeton wrote several religion/philosophy books on how to incorporate faith into everyday life. In addition to our church lives, each of us has a personal ministry reflected in how we react to our life situations and to the people we encounter every day. If I had one piece of advice to share with our confirmands today, it could come in this 3-step formula.
1) Recognize those you encounter as friend, not foe. Take time to establish a bond, even if it’s just making eye contact and sharing a smile. If you can, take time to chat and listen to what people are sharing about their own lives.
2) Encourage those who need a kind word, who appear to be having a rough day, who need to be uplifted. Think about how good it feels when someone lifts you up and do likewise. And
3) Praise those who are doing something/anything of value. Let people know they are making a difference. A sincere thank you goes a long way in changing their attitudes and yours.[iv]
In short, Maya Angelou is right… “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”
I think that Pentecost is a most spectacular day to share in the culmination of our confirmation studies. As we celebrate the end of this Confirmation preparation journey, these young people who were baptized as infants or young children have come to make a public profession of faith, taking responsibility for the promises that were made on their behalf. It is not so much a completion of baptism as it is a celebration of the enduring and eternal influence that baptism has over our lives. In baptism, God is the primary actor. And our response is to reaffirm the promises that God has made to us, and the promises that our parents, churches, and eventually we make to God and one another. That can happened at many significant times in our lives… I’ve lost count for myself, but treasure every opportunity to say, “Yes, God, I’m here, send me.”
I think that Pentecost is a most spectacular day to share in the culmination of our confirmation studies. As we celebrate the end of this Confirmation preparation journey, these young people who were baptized as infants or young children have come to make a public profession of faith, taking responsibility for the promises that were made on their behalf. It is not so much a completion of baptism as it is a celebration of the enduring and eternal influence that baptism has over our lives. In baptism, God is the primary actor. And our response is to reaffirm the promises that God has made to us, and the promises that our parents, churches, and eventually we make to God and one another. That can happened at many significant times in our lives… I’ve lost count for myself, but treasure every opportunity to say, “Yes, God, I’m here, send me.”
Because we are not a local church, nor do we represent a single denomination, we are not having an official confirmation, although I believe them to be prepared. But we are asking these young people to stand before you and God to proclaim their intention to live a life worthy of the calling of Jesus.
Peace, Deb
Congratulaions to our 11 Confirmands and best wishes for a fruitful discipleship journey ahead!
Congratulaions to our 11 Confirmands and best wishes for a fruitful discipleship journey ahead!
[i] Walter Brueggemann, Texts for Preaching, Year B, p. 347
[ii] Robb McCoy and Eric Pfister, Pulpit Fiction, Pentecost B, May 20, 2018, www.pulpitfiction.us
[iii] John Holbert, We Rattling Bones, May 15, 2015, http://www.patheos.com/progressive-christian/2015/05/we-rattling-bones-john-c-holbert-05-15-2015.aspx?p=2
[iv] Tom Rapsas, People Will Remember How You Make Them Feel, May 16, 2018, Wake Up Call: Insights and Musing to Stir Your Soul, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wakeupcall/2018/05/people-will-remember-how-you-made-them-feel/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Best+of+Patheos&utm_content=57
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