It was about 7 and a half months ago that I gave my first sermon here at PMC. At the time we were doing a series on the book of Acts called something like “the church under the influence.” In that sermon, my text was Acts 2: the story of Pentecost. In that sermon, we say such a strange, irrational thing was happening that the only response the perplexed people could come up with was that they were drunk. We reflected on Peter’s sermon that revealed that God was doing something new– something that was prophesied about– and how we are to be martyr-witnesses to this good news. Finally, we looked at the people’s response to Peter’s sermon– loving acts of compassion and generosity.

My second sermon was during advent. The theme this past season had to do with how God “Bursting in and breaking out” in a world of fear and foreboding. The week I preached was about how God calls us to choose the path of peace, which I said meant letting love be Lord so that even Mamzers could be included. “This is how I see Christ. Can you see too?”

Sermon number 3 came during lent. Our theme for lent was holding on and letting go. I love the imagery that was there. IT fit so well with the rhythm of life we got to experience through the change in season. Anyway, in that third sermon we explored the comparison of the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ to the love of a mothering hen. Breath in Breathe out. Hold on. Let go.

It seems we’ve come full circle. Back to Pentecost, the traditional “birth” of the church. We’ve gone through the seasons of the liturgical calendar and we’re back. It’s like I get to play preacher for real because I have to preach a second time on the same subject without just giving the same sermon as last time…

Certainly there will be some things that are repeated, but that’s okay. Repetition is a great way to learn.

With that in mind, I think it would be appropriate to review the story a bit. Acts 2:1 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.”

I did a little research this week about the Jewish Holiday ‘Shavuot’, which means ‘weeks.’ Shavuot happens every year 50 days (hence the name pentecost we use), or a “Week of weeks” (hence the name shavuot) after Passover. In the time of the jewish ancestors, the “day of pentecost” served two purposes. First, it was a pilgrimage feast or festival where jews would bring the first fruits of the harvest to sacrifice at the Temple. Second, the shavuot was essentially a birthday party for the Torah (which means ‘law’) because it commemorated the giving of the ten commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai.

I watched a video online this week by rabbi Jonathan Gingsburg of Skokie, Illinois explaining shavuot. In it he made the challenge:

“We talk about the giving of the Torah, but the question is, how do we receive the Torah? It’s really a time for all of us to reconfirm ourselves to the idea of the giving of revelation– that God decided that God had a gift to give and God gave it to the children of Israel. One midrash says that’s because no one else wanted it. But once we heard it, that God wanted to give it to us, we said we’ll practice it and then we’ll try to understand it, and that’s what we’ve been trying to do ever since.”

I love this idea of the Torah being a gift. Rabbi Jonathon even goes on to say that the Torah is “The holiest gift in the world was given to us to share with the world.” Thinking of the law as a gift makes it seem less overbearing and more gracious. During Shavuot, many Jews stay up all night studying Torah and do not work the following day as both a tribute to and a re-commitment to the law that they hold so close to their lives.

Looking at this Acts 2 story through the lens of gift is also very appropriate. I’m willing to bet that the apostles weren’t in the best of moods around this time. Even though Easter had come and they could rejoice that Jesus was alive, they still must have been mourning him. Their close companion was not with them daily for he had left them. And what of his promise to return? They were waiting patiently, but I imagine that the promised spirit seemed far away. Distant. Stagnant. Unmoving.

And since they were in Jerusalem taking part in the shavuot festival, they must have had the story of Moses on mount sinai on the brain, which goes something like this:

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain [b] trembled violently, 19 and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.

You can imagine that the apostles might have been expecting something big. And it happened:

“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.”

This certainly must have been the ultimate awesome event for the apostles. I mean this was big! The spirit they had been waiting for—that they committed themselves to prayer for, that had seemed so distant and static, this spirit came alive! They could feel the spirit, see the spirit, hear the spirit. God was real and among them! The Jesus that had breathed on them before breathed on them once again. What a gift! Right when they needed it too!

In such a spirit of giving, the gift of the spirit upon the apostles quickly turned into a gift for the crowds of people that had gathered around:

4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

All of these people were receiving good news with no language barrier. Babel reversed. It certainly was a lot to take in, though– and very confusing. “What does this mean?” “They must have had too much wine.”

Peter boldy stepped in to clear things up. From my previous sermon on this passage:

Peter, who was once the guy that denied Jesus thrice, is now apparently filled with the spirit and speaks boldly, making claims that Joel’s prophesy in scripture is being fulfilled. In Joel’s words, God said that in the last days the spirit would be poured out and the people of God will prophesy. Peter is saying THIS IS WHATS HAPPENING NOW!

And Peter is quick to connect this occurrance with what happened to Jesus. Death has lost its power on Christ, just as king David said: Hades could not hold him. But the Israelites’ Beloved King David is dead never to come out of the grave. Jesus, on the other hand, is ALIVE and moving through their midst in this wild and wonderful moment. God is doing something New and Exciting, and as Peter says in Verse 32: “All of us are witnesses.” … Witness, translated from the greek “martus” the same word from which we get the English word martyr

Already we can see that the story celebrated during Shavuot and the story we now celebrate during Pentecost are similar in many ways: the loud, violent entrance of the spirit, the gift of holy guidance, and even in the call for commitment. As seen in the people’s response to all of the events of the day,

The scripture tells us that about 3000 people repented from their old ways and were baptized—were washed clean—into this new life as part of the church. They ate together, held everything in common, and sold their possessions so that they could give to each other as there was need. Everyone was loving and generous and compassionate toward each other and life was good for everyone. The Church was born.

This was salvation. This was church. This was the kingdom the people of Israel had been praying for. The spirit of God moving amongst the people inspired them to respond with loving acts of Compassion and generosity. They were being the body of Christ. They were living out the good news to each other. They were the church.

Just as Rabbi Jonathan Gingsburg of Skokie, Illinois challenges his audience to recommit to the giving of revelation, I think there are challenges we are called to undertake as we celebrate the revelation of the spirit.

One of the articles I read this week in preparation for this sermon was one from the National Catholic Reporter by John Drear (no not the tractor guy), a Jesuit priest and peace activist. He starts that article:

In May 1983 and May 1985, I attended Sojourners’ “Peace Pentecost” rallies in Washington, D.C. — prayer services and inspiring speakers and nonviolent demonstrations against war and injustice. Those were some of the most electrifying Pentecost experiences of my life. The police hauled hundreds away as we proclaimed God’s reign of peace. I recall those days as we enter another Pentecost season, and wonder, how do we live out the drama of Pentecost today?

So how do we live out the drama of Pentecost? Thats the question of the day.

Pentecost is a story of tongues of fire. It’s a story of people that speak boldly and proclaim good news. John Dear says of the apostles: “Out they go into the streets, speaking out. They gather crowds about them and tell of the nonviolent Jesus, of his love and peace, of his death and resurrection, of his new realm of nonviolence.”

So living the drama of pentecost might mean speaking boldly about the good news that is God’s reign of peace. Yet in speaking for something (i.e. peace) we also end up speaking against: against empire, against its violence and wars, against executions and laws. When the Apostles spoke against these things, the Sanhedron eventually caught on and threw them in jail. Some even became the ultimate witnesses– that is they became martyrs.

But speaking against can lead us dangerously close to things that are not peaceful at all: hatred, resentment, meanness, arrogance, egotism, even violence. These are the things that lead us to the spirit of war, and again quoting john dear, “these rob us of life — as do the imperial spirit of the United States, the deadly spirit of the military, the greedy spirit of Wall Street, and the soulless spirit of Los Alamos, New Mexico, where they are working hard on another generation of nuclear bombs.”

How can we prevent this? Breathe Peace.

The verses in John that I had read today portray Jesus breathing and saying, “My peace I give to you.”

Breathe in that peace and breathe it out to everyone around you– your family, friends, coworkers, strangers– everyone. Make peacemaking such a regular part of your life that it becomes a natural rhythm that you don’t even have to think about. Breathe Peace.

And then like Peter, we will boldly stand up and say to our nation, “You killed Christ! Repent of your war in Iraq. Beat your swords into plowshares. Repent of your racial profiling in Arizona. Love your neighbor as yourself. Repent of the blind eye you’ve turned to the poor. Repent of oil spills and global warming. Take care of creation.

As you do this, it may not be well received. You might have people that are perplexed. People might start to say, “what are you drunk?”

But we must have confidence that the 3000 people will get the message and as they proclaim jubilee, we will one day be able to say:

Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I want to end with a prayer. You may know it’s based on the prayer of st. Francis:

Lyrics:
Lord, Make us instruments of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let your love increase
Lord, make us instruments of your peace,
Walls of pride and prejudice shall cease
When we are your instruments of peace.

Where there is hatred, we will show his love
Where there is injury, we will never judge
Where there is striving, we will speak his peace
To the millions crying for release,
We will be his instruments of peace

Lord, Make us instruments of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let your love increase
Lord, make us instruments of your peace,
Walls of pride and prejudice shall cease
When we are your instruments of peace.

Where there is blindness, we will pray for sight
where there is darkness, we will shine his light
Where there is sadness, we will bear their grief
To the millions crying for relief,
We will be your instruments of peace.