Come, Holy Spirit, lead us into all Truth, and give us grace to confess - on our lips, and by our lives - that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. … before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2 : 17, 20, 21). But what on earth had this ancient prophecy got to do with those rather strange events which took place in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost? Earlier, in Chapter 2 of the Acts of the Apostles, Luke tells us that the company of disciples "were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." These tongues were those of many visitors to Jerusalem, who were amazed to hear "the wonders of God" being declared in their own native language. No wonder they were "amazed and perplexed". No wonder they asked "what does this mean?"
The festival of Pentecost was a major Jewish festival, occurring fifty days after Passover. It was originally a harvest festival, when the first fruits were offered to God. Later, it became a celebration of God's covenant with Israel and the giving of the Law. Now, on this Day of Pentecost, the presence of God was revealed in wind and fire - just as it had been at Sinai - and a new 'nation' was formed. Just as God had once formed a new nation from the twelve tribes of Israel, so now a new nation - based around the twelve apostles - was being called into being.
It was the Holy Spirit who came to inspire this fledgling community of faith, and make such an impact on those around. It was the Holy Spirit who came to indwell those first frail followers of Jesus, and empower them to be channels of the Gospel throughout the known world. And it is the same Holy Spirit who still comes to indwell God's people, and who continues to animate the Church with His life-giving breath.
In Acts chapter 2, we're told that Peter stood up and addressed what was an international gathering. And he began by quoting from the prophet Joel. I don't know about you, but if I was asked by a crowd to explain why my friends and I seemed to be behaving in a drunken fashion, I'm not sure that I would start by quoting chunks of the Bible! But Peter wasn't simply trying to explain some strange behaviour. Rather, he was proclaiming that the 'last days' - the days spoken of by the prophets and long awaited by God's people - had now begun. About five hundred years before, the prophet Joel had hoped for a dramatic outpouring of the Spirit of God, one that would restore Israel's fortunes after a plague of locusts and drought. Yet Joel also looked ahead to another day - "the great and dreadful day of the Lord". Now here was Peter proclaiming that Joel's prophecy was being fulfilled, and that the last days - those final days before the day of the Lord - had now begun.
What did it mean to talk about "the last days"? Many of those listening to Peter would have known that it referred to the time when God's promises would be fulfilled, when the story would arrive at its climax, the journey reach its destination. Yet though Peter declared that these are indeed the "last days", they are not the day which Joel referred to as "the day of the Lord."
Peter wanted everyone to know that something momentous had now happened, which had launched the "last days." And that the author of these events was none other than Jesus, the crucified One whom God had raised from the dead. For the Spirit who was poured out at Pentecost was the promised gift of the crucified, risen, and exalted Jesus.
New things were now happening, because a New Creation had begun. And the outpouring of the Holy Spirit marks the beginning of this wonderful new work of God in and through Jesus. Up to this time, the Holy Spirit had inspired particular people, anointing them for particular tasks - eg to serve as prophets, priests, and kings. Now, in a sudden burst of fresh divine energy released through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God's Spirit has been poured out on all God's people, and is now available for all who "call on the name of the Lord."
Yet perhaps we may hesitate. Perhaps our own experience seems very different from those gathered in Jerusalem on the first Day of Pentecost. Perhaps we ourselves feel a bit like a dry river bed inside, one where streams of living water have not flowed for a long time, if at all. Or perhaps we feel a bit stagnant, cut off from the flow of God's Spirit. This can so easily happen when our lives become cluttered with things that block or restrict the flow of the Holy Spirit. For example, in Galatians chapter 5, St Paul warns us that gratifying the desires of our sinful nature cuts us off from the life of the Spirit - whether as individuals, or as communities.
Yet, just as the pollution and clutter can be removed from rivers and they can be rejuvenated, so Pentecost assures us that the renewing power of the Holy Spirit can transform any situation. Pentecost also assures us that we don't have to jump through any religious hoops to receive the refreshment of the Father's promised gift; just ask, and then be open to receive it. The Holy Spirit comes as a gift. And through the presence of the Holy Spirit, you and I are enabled to grow more like Jesus, bearing the Christ-like fruit of the Spirit, and knowing the spring of God's love in the depths of our being.
We also need to remember this. The gift of the Holy Spirit is not just for individual believers alone. As on the first Day of Pentecost, so the Holy Spirit comes to transform communities of faith into those who reach out in God's overflowing love to renew the ends of the earth. Through the Spirit, we are united in the worldwide Body of Christ. Through the Spirit, we are empowered to pray for others. Through the Spirit, we are impelled to act and speak out for justice, and to put our money where our mouth is - as we shall be doing during Christian Aid Week, which begins today.
The very fact that we are here this evening is itself a testimony to the continued presence of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, there would be no Church. And, without the gift of the Holy Spirit, we at the Priory cannot live out the 3 Ws of our church vision statement. For example, without the Holy Spirit, worship goes through the religious motions, and is as dry as dust. With the Holy Spirit worship is a fresh, life changing encounter with the Living Lord. We continually need the gift of the Holy Spirit to inspire our worship, to make our welcome genuinely Christ-like, and to empower our Christian witness. So, then, when did you and I last ask the Lord for His gift?
John Barr
Click to return to the list of further sermons.
Go to top
|
