A Day of Beginnings
Dr. Jim Wilson, May 23, 2010 An Air Force Major was promoted to the rank of Colonel and moved into a brand new office. Soon after settling himself behind his big new desk on his first day on the job, an airman knocked at his door and asked to speak to him. The new Colonel, feeling the urge to impress this lowly airman, grabbed the phone sitting on his desk, and said, “Yes, General, thank you sir. I will be sure to pass that information on to the President when he calls this afternoon. Then the Colonel turned to the airman and barked, “And what do you want?” “Nothing sir,” replied the airman, “I just came by to hook up your phone.” Beginnings are important. Whether it is the beginning of a relationship, the first day on a new job, the initial phase of a project, or the first quarter of a game, the first steps are critical for all that follows. Beginnings tend to be moments when we are most clear about who we are, what we perceive to be important, and what will lead us in our decisions. Often we find ourselves returning to beginning events or moments when identities get fuzzy or values get confused or leadership falters. How often today do we hear references to the “Founding Fathers” or the “early church”? Today is Pentecost, a day of beginnings. Pentecost marks the birth of the church as told in the second chapter of Acts. As we hear this amazing story we encounter our origins as God’s People, who are empowered by the Spirit to witness to God’s redemptive love in Christ Jesus. We are this unique community of disciples. This particular Pentecost marks the beginning of the life of discipleship for fourteen of our confirmands. As we welcome them as brothers and sisters in Christ we are all once again reminded of who we are as God’s people, the body of Christ. This indeed is a day of beginnings, a day that celebrates the empowering work of the Spirit in the lives of disciples. This becomes clear as we listen to the story told by Luke in our text. Luke tells us the disciples were all gathered together in one place on the Day of Pentecost. This was the Jewish Day of Pentecost, the 50th day after Passover, a feast which began as an agricultural festival, but later came to be a celebration of the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. In other words, it was a day of beginnings, the beginning of the covenant relationship between God and Israel. The disciples were in Jerusalem waiting, just as the Risen Lord had instructed them. He told them to stay in the city until they were, “clothed with power from on high;” that is, until they had received the Spirit. So the waited, anxiously for the promise to be fulfilled. Suddenly, Luke tells us, a sound came from heaven, “a sound like the rush of a mighty wind. It filled the entire house.” Then, there appeared “tongues as of fire which came and rested on each of the disciples.” Wind and fire, as our confirmands know, are sure and certain signs of God’s presence. The immediate outcome of this presence is empowerment. Filled with the Holy Spirit, “the power from on high,” the disciples begin speaking in other languages, telling of the mighty acts of God. Now Jews from every nation had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. Hearing the commotion, they gather about the place where the disciples are. When they hear the disciples proclaiming the Good News of God’s love, each in their own native tongue, they ask, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it that we hear, each of them in our own native language?” After all, Galileans are not very sophisticated. What does all this mean?” Others, however, are much less charitable in their assessment. They sneer and say, “These men have been hitting the Mogen David. They are drunk!” But Peter steps forward and begins to speak. Actually, he preaches the first Christian sermon. “Men of Judea,” he begins, “These men are not drunk. It’s only 9 o’clock in the morning.” I have long wondered if that line of reasoning proved convincing! Peter quickly moves on to an interpretation of what is happening. “What you are witnessing,” says Peter, “is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, it will be God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and our young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams.” What is happening, argues Peter, is the promised new beginning---God’s pouring out His Spirit, empowering the faithful to witness to the forgiving and liberating love come in Christ Jesus. Peter concludes his sermon with an invitation to his hearers to repent and be baptized, promising they too shall receive the Spirit. Luke tells us that 3000 did just that, which is impressive by any standard. This is the story of our beginning, a story that speaks of who and whose we are, of who leads us, and of what we are called to be and to do. In a time when our faith is constantly challenged, when our values as Christians are consistently ridiculed, and when the church itself is often under attack, I believe it is important for us to contend with this story of our beginnings. As we wrestle with who we are and who will lead us and what values will shape our lives, we confront a world that is increasingly secular, privatized, narcissistic, and driven by greed and immediate gratification. As one writer put it, “We live in a very spiritual world, but most of the spirits are not holy!” I believe this story of our beginnings provides insights for us who would be disciples of Jesus. For instance, the story of Pentecost makes it clear that we are led by God’s Spirit. That is so easy to say and so difficult to live. For it means that we are called to wait upon the Spirit for direction. It means that we are not called to be disciples on our own terms or our own power. We trust the Spirit to lead us, not the culture, not the trendy, not the 5 principles of this or that. To trust the Spirit, to follow the Spirit’s lead, is what it means to be a disciple. A story is told about a preacher in south Florida who decided to dramatize the meaning of Pentecost for his congregation. He rented one of those huge propellers used to power swap boats in the Everglades and secured it to the back of the choir loft where the wind draft would blow out across the congregation. The dry run on Saturday went well. Sunday morning, however, was a different story. As the pastor read the words, “And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind…” the usher turned on the propeller. The wind gust send music, choir folders, bulletins and sermon notes sailing out over the congregation. Carefully coiffured hairdos and a hairpiece or two came unglued. It was a Pentecost no one forgot, but not necessarily for the right reasons. When we try to live by our own power, on our terms, by our own devices, we wind up like the pastor, making a mess of it all. We are to be led by the Spirit. By doing so, you and I know the power and presence of God’s gracious transforming love with us. It is the Spirit who strengthens us for the journey of discipleship, who renews us when we get weary, who provides light in the darkness, who forgives us when we fall short, who opens the way when there seems to be no way, who births hope in the midst of despair, who keeps us open to hear the Word a fresh each day. The Spirit is God in Christ with us, freeing us to be faithful. But, of course, we must be willing to be led, by positioning ourselves through prayer, study of Scripture, worship, and deeds of mercy, indeed, by saying, “Here I am Lord, lead me!” A little girl was born with several serious health issues that caused her to be crippled. She was surrounded by a large, loving, and deeply committed Christian family. Yet, while her brothers and sisters could run play outside, she was confined by her braces. “Will I ever be able to run and play?’ she asked her parents. “Honey, all can do is trust God,” they would respond, “And God can make it happen.” She took her parent’s word to heart. She prayed for God’s healing and trusted God to do so. She practiced walking without her braces with the help of her brothers and sisters. On her 12th birthday, she shocked her parents and doctors by removing her braces and walking around the doctor’s office unassisted. She never wore braces again. Next, she wanted to play basketball. She prayed for the power to do so. The coach agreed to let her play as a means of getting her older sister on the team. She was given an old, tattered uniform. When she begged the coach to give her an extra 10 minutes of practice each day, he reluctantly agreed. Two years latter, she led her high school team to the state championship. One of the referees in the championship game recognized her exceptional ability and asked if she had ever run track. She hadn’t. He encouraged her to do so and she did. One year later, she went to the Melbourne Olympic Games and won a bronze medal as the anchor of the women’s 400 meter relay team. Four years later, at the Olympic Games in Rome, she won gold medal in the 100 meter dash, the 200 meter dash, and the 400 meter relay, all in world record times. Wilma Rudolf capped off that year by receiving the prestigious Sullivan Award given to the outstanding amateur athlete in America. A crippled girl believed and trusted the empowering work of the Spirit, a new life was realized. The Spirit not only leads us individually, but also leads us to life in the Church, the community of those who call Jesus Lord. This is critical to remember, especially in a culture that seems to champion the individual. There is no such thing as an individual Christian. To be a Christian, a disciple of Jesus, is to be a member of the community that bears His Name. It is in the community that we are nurtured in our faith, that we worship our common Lord, that we are loved even as we are held accountable, share our gifts, even as we offer them for the common good. Now I would be among the first to admit the Church is far from a perfect community, at times far from what it is called to be. The Church is, as John Wesley said about all Christians, “on the way to perfection.” It is the community that lives by the Spirit, that is empowered by the Spirit, that is renewed by the Spirit. I have seen the Church at its best---when it stood up to the powers of this world for justice and freedom in Christ’s name, and I have seen the Church at its worst, when it capitulated to the culture and turned aside from it calling. One thing I have learned and that is it is only by yielding the to Spirit and waiting upon the Spirit’ movement is the Church able to be who it called to be---the earthly witness to God in Christ’s liberating and transforming love changing lives. When at its best the Church is led by the Spirit in its witness, telling in word and deed of God’s mighty acts. Remember that first Pentecost, that Day of Beginning---the first response to the Spirit was for the disciples to begin to tell of God’s mighty acts. That is our reason to be. As the martyred Archbishop of San Salvador, Oscar Romero put it, “God’s best microphone is Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus’ best microphone is the Church. And the Church’s best microphone is the witness and service of each disciple.” That may seem somewhat overwhelming, and even a bit frightening. As it well should. I remember as I was preparing to be ordained, suddenly feeling very inadequate, so fearful of the responsibilities a pastoral leader must carry. Then as I knelt before Bishop Washburn, I heard his words, no, not his words but the words of the Church through the ages asking for the Spirit to lead. He said, “Come Holy Spirit, empower your servant James Michael to serve Your Church faithfully…” I was reminded then and have been time and again that this is our prayer today and each day, recognizing that Christ Jesus not only calls us to be his witnesses, but he empowers us to do so. Such is the work of the Spirit. Yes, Come Holy Spirit on each of us that we may know your presence and your power to lead us in the life of faithful discipleship. Thanks be to God! Amen! Beginnings are important. This is a day when we remember our beginnings as the community called out to be God’s people in the world. For 14 of our youth, it is the day of their beginning as disciples of Jesus Christ. Allow me to conclude with a personal word to them. Today you are making a decision about who will lead who you will follow---the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a very significant decision, perhaps the most significant decision you will eve make. If Jesus is Lord for you that means no one no thing else can be. You live each day in His presence and by His grace. Now there will be challenges to your decisions every day. There will be times when you fail to live out your decision. In these moments, I call you to remember this day, this day of beginnings, a day when you confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and opened your lives to the leading of renews and will be empowered to know His presence with you. Our prayer for you on this day of beginnings is that you will be “clothed from on high.” May God’s Spirit bless you and all of us. Thanks be to God! Amen! |
