The Sweet Sound of the Spirit
Romans 8:14-17
14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
John 14:8-17 [25-27]
8Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. 15”If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.[25”I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.]
Pentecost comes to us as a day of celebration. For 50 days, we celebrated the presence of the Risen Christ among us. Pentecost brings that celebration to a joyful conclusion. Our Baptist sisters and brothers, resonate with the first reading, a scene from that first Pentecost, filled with fire and wind and speaking in tongues. We Episcopalians feel a bit embarrassed by such emotional displays of prayer and religious enthusiasm. We prefer our church to be silently joyful with soul stirring music but not too much. After all we are Episcopalians.A solemn procession we prefer to dancing down the aisles.
Perhaps we are more comfortable with the second reading about being God’s adopted children or with the more mystical language from the Gospel according to John. Both of those passages direct us to look for the Spirit deep within us, dwelling in our hearts, resonating with our spirits. Paul assures us that the Spirit not only dwells in us but links us with God so we are God’s beloved daughters and sons. Jesus directs us to look into our hearts and there we will discover the Holy Spirit: You know the Spirit, because the Spirit abides with you, and the Spirit will be in you. (Jn 14: 24) Paul similarly tells us: The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8: 16)
Jesus and Paul invite us to look deep into our hearts for the Spirit who dwells within each of us. Just think of the great mystery – the Spirit dwells with us. God creates us so that we can receive this gift of the Spirit. The Spirit resonates with our own spirits affirming this holy presence within us.
Outside the rectory we have a large set of wind chimes. Whenever the wind blows through the maple tree home of the chimes, they resound with a deep harmonic melody and delight all who hear them. Many of us have lived our Christian lives and have seen the Spirit at work in the lives of those whom we love. Our hearts hear that same resonance of the Spirit in the lives of faithful women and men in the church. Deeply faithful Christians are like those wind chimes, blown by the wind of the Spirit, resonating with the melody of the Spirit.
Two weeks ago in Buffalo, Pearl Young ended her morning at church with Gloria, her sister-in-law. They both attended a Prayer Breakfast after which Gloria dropped Pearl off at Topps Markets to pick up some chicken for Sunday dinner. Pearl was walking into the store talking on her phone with her son when she stopped speaking. His phone began buzzing with alerts about the shooting.
People have an enduring memory of Pearl as a mother, grandmother, Sunday School teacher, substitute teacher in the public school system, the administrator of a bi-weekly soup kitchen, the person to whom people would go for a word of wisdom. The Spirit dwelt in her heart, danced through her in prayer, and acted with her in her ministry. Deep within her soul, an abiding presence of the Spirit sang through her whenever she would pray at church and then show that presence through good works.
Paul not only speaks of the Sprit’s presence in our joy. He affirms that same presence in our pain: if we suffer with him we will also be glorified with him. Paul clearly understood the challenges of living a Christian life in a world without faith. We all stand in need of that affirmation of the Spirit’s presence in our anguish. Pearl’s friends recalled how she would speak a word of wisdom to church members in pain or distress. Spirit led people resonate with that wind of the Spirit, rejoicing with the happy and suffering with the afflicted.
We are living at a most challenging moment in our nation’s history when the scourge of gun violence has led to even more mass shootings this week. The Spirit helps us to endure the pain of the present moment by setting our eyes on the future, on the ultimate reversal of pain with the final resurrection. The Spirit wells up in us that hope which sees past the immediacy of a world turned upside down toward the beginning of God’s reign of abiding peace and justice.
God continues to shed that Spirit upon us. God continues to drop down flames of love which settle in our hearts. Imagine a world where the Spirit spoke words of hope through you. Imagine a world where the Spirit touched those in your circle with blessing through you. Imagine a world where the Spirit invited you past your comfort zone to heal the broken through you.
Ask God for that Spirit today. Then bring that Spirit into your world. For the world so desperately needs a new Pentecost.