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Acts 2:1-13
When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue of fire rested on each of them. All of them were filled with Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability. 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 tongue of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, Phryigia and Pamphylia, Egypt, and parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and gentiles, Cretans and Arabs – in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
I Corinthians 12:4-13
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, 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. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
It's not what you'd call a “Hallmark Holiday.” Pentecost doesn't lend itself to cultural myths, cute jingles and clever rhymes, soft sentimentalities, and cartoon caricatures.
Pentecost is the birthday of the church, a day when the neighbors thought the Christians next door were scandalously drunk-as-skunks shortly after sunrise; when flames seemed to dance on top of their heads, and winds blew through the houses at hurricane strength, and strange tongues were spoken. Try to get that stuff on a greeting card; “Merry Pentecost,” Happy Pentecost,” or “Good Pentecost” – on the other hand, perhaps it's better to stay with what you know: Santa Claus and Easter Bunnies.
At Christmas, preachers invite congregants to experience Jesus' re-birth into their lives and souls. There is, of course, no biblical basis for that invitation, but nonetheless, it can be a meaningful suggestion. At Easter, preachers celebrate Christ's resurrection and his defeat of Death itself, and invite folks to use his resurrection as the model for surmounting the places in their daily lives where death, lower case ‘d', holds sway. Again, there's no biblical basis for that invitation, but it can be a very powerful spiritual practice.
Pentecost, unlike Christmas and Easter, is not just a historical moment in time, the imparting of God's Spirit that structured the first church. It is also when the Holy Spirit, that ubiquitous Essence, was unleashed, free of history and structure, free to move in individual lives, igniting passion, forming insights, inspiring dreams and visions, giving discernment and call. The Holy Spirit does not need preachers to create post-Pentecost metaphorical applications.
The Spirit lives off of the energies of God and responds to the human heart that is open to receive it. Even if the heart is not open, the Spirit is that nagging sense, the inner voice, the struggling conscience, the longing to be free, the inspiration in the back of the mind, that simply will not let go, shut up, or be pushed aside. It's the pressure that opposes apathy, indifference, overwhelm, or resignation.
The Spirit has at least two voices. It is that still small voice that keeps calling you back into the core conversation of existence: who am I and what am I to do with my one and only life? Do you know that voice that nags in the moments between wake and sleep, between fulfilling our daily responsibilities and being extraordinarily busy? That still small voice reminds you that your existence is not an accident and that you have an important work to do with your life – if you believe that you couldn't possibly be important enough to have important work, then look at Mary or Joseph, no Honors MBA from Wharton for her or Harvard PhD in architecture for him, indeed, no credentials, not even a driver's license – if you will, “just” humble, simple servants of God; housewife and carpenter.
This still small voice knows that resident in your heart, mind, body, and soul is an urgency summoning you to discover, claim, and live into what you love, into a dream, vision, or passion. This still small voice induces a deep spiritual intimacy with God, it cradles your union with Christ, and it layers your life with ever increasing dimensions of joy, peace, focus, and love. It is this voice that awakens you to awe and wonder that fill you with unspeakable gratitude.
Then there is the Spirit's voice that is roughly equivalent to a swift kick in the seat of the pants, an “aha” moment that knocks your socks off, that rips open an imprisonment, that sizzles your frozenness, awakens you to your place in the possibilities of loving kindness, justice, and peace. It can deliver a 9.9 Richter Scale shake-up of your apathy, indifference, overwhelm, or resignation. This is the voice that heats up your prayers, rock and rolls your praise, sends your arms into the air, makes your soul feel on fire with the certainty that nothing can keep you from living with great abandon, from serving God in every thought, word, and deed. This voice speaks in Fahrenheit and measures in mega-decibels. To outsiders you may look to be three sheets to the wind, out of your mind, or up the creek, but you know differently.
So, let's review:
• The Spirit works 24/7/365.
• It does not have an on/off switch.
• You can embrace the Spirit, or you can miss its subtly, or you can ignore it, but it won't go away and it won't be quiet.
• The Spirit knows, as you know somewhere deep inside your True Self, that your existence is special and that you have something important to do with your one and only wonderful life.
• Today, Pentecost invites you to apprentice yourself to the Spirit by returning to the core conversation of life: who am I and what am I here to do with my life?
• The Spirit invites you discern which of its voices you most need to hear today: the soft stillness, pulling you into its inquiry and inspiration; or a foot stomping, praise singing, arms lifted Pentecostal moment that syncs your energy with God's energy; or a swift kick, an inspiration, defrosting, or a good shake up to get you moving again? Maybe you need a combination of those to fill you to the brim and then some with Holy Spirit.
MEDITATION: So, let's go inside for a few moments. Find that quiet place where you can be in touch with your True Self, breathe into it, gently, certainly.
• Be aware of a place in your soul that is feeling inspired, engaged, full of joy or Spirit --- give voice to your gratitude for those feelings.
• Be aware of a place of want, need, longing, pain -- a place that is stuck, blocked, frozen. What dream, vision, or passion are you fending off in the name of busyness, resignation, or lack of inspiration?
• Listen, listen -- listen for the Spirit nagging or pushing, holding and speaking.
• What do you want the Spirit to do with you, what should it say to you right now?
• Listen to yourself tell the Spirit that you want to apprentice yourself to it – imagination and intellect, the ordinary and the urgent, your life in this moment and your life out on the horizon.
• Tell your Self and the Spirit that you want to return to that core conversation of your life to get a glimpse of what you would most love to be and do. Remember, the minute you know, claim, and treasure who you are and what you are to be and do, it is really a different life that you will live!
• Pray aloud, repeating after me the words of the beloved old hymn (322): “Sprit of the Living God, fall afresh on me --- melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.”
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