Pentecost Is This Moment

June 4, 2017

Cate Thorn

The Day of Pentecost     Acts 2:1-21     John 7: 37-39

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Pentecost Sunday, that which follows Ascension, which follows Easter, which follows Lent. The narrative of ritual and tradition by which we tell the story of this faith lineage with which we are aligned, the story we tell that reminds us of who we are. The family story, as Jeremy said, that may or may not have happened exactly this way but nevertheless is true, nevertheless reminds us of who we are as family, as good news tellers in this place, in our time.

At this juncture of the story, at Pentecost we hear of a community gathered, “devout people living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven” are gathered, they hear this sound as of a rushing wind from heaven and assemble, they witness an event and are, by turn, bewildered, astonished, amazed, disturbed. Of course, it is a particular community, a community of devout people in Jerusalem, people of Jewish lineage. Looking back, we can learn they are gathered there, not by chance, or randomly but with intent. They are gathered for a festival in keeping with their faith lineage, they are gathered for the festival of weeks, the second great feast in Israel’s yearly cycle of holy days, originally a harvest festival it became a day to commemorate the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai.

We can look back and learn, see the connectivity and the continuity into which this bestowal of Holy Spirit, divine breathing into of life happens. The prophetic words of this Jewish context put into Peter’s mouth interpret, makes sense and meaning of what is taking place. Claim is made that this is something new, this bestowal of the Holy Spirit, a new revelation and perhaps superior to anything before. It is an interesting presumption, for understanding of what is taking place requires the prophetic words that arise from a community whose stories are threaded through with a world breathed into life, indwelt by divine spirit and presence.

This story becomes foundational in that of a Jewish sect that emerged to become known as the people of the Way and in time Christians, followers of the Christ. Today is celebrated as the birthday of the church.

On this day of Pentecost, as we listen to the account of the Pentecost event, we imagine what happened back then. We hear that devout people from every nation heard the sound of a violent rushing wind, they assemble and then are astonished for each can hear the marvels of God being preached in their own language. Peter interprets – this is not drunkenness but the fulfilment of Joel’s prophetic words predicting a time when the spirit of God will fall upon all creation empowering prophecy, visions, dreams, wondrous displays in heaven and signs on earth. We look back in linear time to locate this event, this Pentecost happening.

But what about the fulfilment of Joel’s prophetic prediction, where in linear time do we locate this? Do we, as Peter proposes, see Joel’s prophecy as being fulfilled at that moment in history? Or, as we listen, do we see this as a “still to be fulfilled ideal,” project it into the future sometime, for surely what Joel prophecies has not come to pass, or if it has it’s not in a way we understand.

You see I’ve been wondering, when we arrive at Pentecost, speak of it, talk of it, or imagine it somehow it is always a bit removed. Pentecost’s somehow not about now, somehow not about us. Rather Pentecost happened over there to someone else back then or it’s prophesied to happen later or maybe it’s a nice thing to think about but it doesn’t really make a lot of difference to real life now. And maybe it doesn’t, maybe it’s just a cool story to tell that orients us a little differently to life, to how we understand things, a bit more mindfully open to what we allow as possible in the world. Perhaps it makes us aware of our need to pause to be renewed, resourced by the divine inbreathing us.

It could be said we directly benefit from Pentecost, for we’re descendants of those newly inbreathed who, from Jewish roots, emerged as Christians. The Spirit in this moment brings the church into existence and empowers it, as it is sometimes explained. So it could be said we benefit from Pentecost but how are we of benefit from Pentecost?

The biblical text, the traditions through time in which we claim we stand in continuity, they can become things over there, next to us, things we’re obedient, with integrity for that’s what being faithful is about, is it not? But do we allow them to be things in us, in us so to change us, or perhaps in us so we participate in the changing of the world?

During a recent Vestry workshop, each of us was asked what it was that had drawn us to St Matthew’s. It was interesting to hear how, for many, it was because St Matthew’s had used its voice to speak against injustice, actively and vocally participated in protest against unjust systems and structures, advocated for the disenfranchised, lobbied for change. Against such things as apartheid, for such things as a nuclear free NZ, for the LGBTQI communities, for homosexual law reform, for marriage equality. Prejudice against difference remains ever present in our society, however many of these injustices are less acute now. So what is it that St Matthew’s uses its voice to advocate for now, what are the issues of injustice before us? Within the church excluding those of other than heterosexual orientation from marriage, holy orders, from the fullness of its life remains a bitter injustice. Without the church the injustices of homelessness, of an ever increasing divide between rich and poor, of our planet in peril through climate change, result of human greed and foolishness are rampant.

So how are we of benefit from Pentecost? At Pentecost we’re told the Holy Spirit breathes upon, fills those gathered, the sound of it is heard and causes all to assemble. Each and every person hears of the marvels of God in the language they know, they receive it as they are where they are, they don’t need to become other than themselves to receive, to hear and to breathe. We’re directed to understand this fulfils the prophecy made by Joel, that all of creation, each and every person from greatest to least is filled, blessed, breathed upon, gifted and empowered to express, to be their God intended selves.

Pentecost reminds us of the way things actually are – that each and every person and the whole of creation is breathed and breathes into being divine presence. Pentecost reminds us who we are, reminds us what is possible, in fact further than that it reminds us what is real right now, in each moment. Each breath is a bestowal of divine potentiality and this is what a world that is conscious of this looks like.

We participate in structures and systems that benefit us, yet they’re denying and diminishing the capacity of others, of our creation to breathe. We can, as we do with scripture, with our traditions such as Pentecost, make these issues, problems from back then, over there, someone else, for the future. We can refuse to accept that we are part of perpetuating injustice. We can talk about, perhaps even act to alleviate the symptoms of suffering and yet do nothing to untangle, uncover the fundamental injustice of the systems that perpetuate the unjust share of resources, because we’re in the habit of living this way, because we would be inconvenienced.

Pentecost tells us our breath is intermingled, our suffering is mutual, our dignity interdependent. Pentecost may have happened, an event in time back then but the place of Pentecost in our story, our tradition of understanding, of God revealing to us who we are, is far more eloquent than that.

We locate our lives within a framework of lineal time, past, present, future. But for you and I the only certainty we have of life is right now. Humour me a moment, as you sit, as we are in this space I want you to become aware of your breathing. I want us to pause for a moment and to ask you to become aware of your breath in and your breath out.

This breath in this moment, you are alive – this you can know. This breath is life in this moment.

What if this breath, in this moment, is our Pentecost? Each breath in each moment we’re enlivened with divine spirit to make Pentecost real – to make this creation a place of divine blessing for the flourishing of each and all. Pentecost reveals to us the potentiality of now. Our people cannot wait, our planet cannot wait. What if this breath, this moment, this now is all we have.