A sermon by Fr. Davenport ©
Church of the Ascension and S. Agnes, Washington, D.C.
19 May 2002
Acts, 2:1-11
1 Corinthians, 12:4-13
John, 20: 19-23
After forty years in the wilderness, Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land where she had to contend with a variety of neighbors: Philistines, Canaanites, Hittites, Ammonites, Jebusites, and many others. These peoples tempted Israel's fidelity to the Lord by encouraging her to worship their false gods. Many Old Testament writers associated Israel's political well-being with her religious fidelity to the Lord. They thought that when Israel 'did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, . . . serving the Ba'als and Asheroth,' foreign nations would gain dominion over Israel. The Lord would then raise up a leader to deliver Israel from foreign oppression and infidelity. This happened continuously throughout Israel's history. Judges 3 records one instance in which the king of Mesopotamia had gained control of Israel. Soon thereafter, "The Spirit of the Lord came upon [Othniel], and he became Israel's chieftain. He went out to war. . ." Through the work of his Spirit, the Lord delivers the foreign king into Othniel's hands, and Othniel restores peace. "The land had rest forty years."
In another case, the Ammonites were laying siege to Jabesh-Gilead, an Israelite town on their border. The inhabitants were ready to surrender and so tried to make a treaty with the Ammonite leader, but he told them, "On this condition will I make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus put a disgrace upon all Israel." The people of Jabesh-Gilead had second thoughts about surrendering, and began to search for a deliverer. They called upon Saul,
and the spirit of God came mightily upon Saul when he heard [the Ammonites' terms for peace], and his anger was greatly kindled. He toke a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers saying, 'Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!' Then the dread of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. (I Samuel 11:6-7)
Saul led a united Israel into battle and, of course, crushed the Ammonites, bringing peace to Jabesh-Gilead and strengthening all of Israel. (1)
Both of these stories associate the giving of the Holy Spirit and peace. In today's gospel, our Lord greets his disciples, "Peace be with you," and then he breathes upon them so they will receive the Holy Ghost. The Lord gives his Holy Spirit so there may be peace. He also gives his Holy Spirit to strengthen his people. Before the Holy Spirit comes, there is collective powerlessness. In the Old Testament, the descent of the Spirit revives Israel; and in the New Testament, the descent of the Spirit revives the disciples, the Church, the new Israel. For both old and new Israel, the Spirit "restores solidarity, loyalty, and capacity for common action among the people. . . . The bearer of the spirit leads Israel out of the situation of fear, lament, and despairing paralysis." (2) When Israel had just come into the Promised Land, her survival is in great question. When the disciples had just seen their Lord crucified, their survival as faithful witnesses to the Lord is in great question. The survival of Israel and the survival of the Church seemed highly unlikely, but instead of being obliterated and her people being scattered abroad, "they came out as one." (3) The Spirit comes and creates unity, and from unity comes strength. God nurtures Israel, and he builds the Church, despite the appearance of having none of the necessary conditions for growth. Israel, the Church, appeared pathetic, but God, through his Spirit, brought forth growth and health.
The beginning of growth and strength for Israel, and for the Church, is unity. The basis for unity is the forgiveness of sins. Our Lord gave his Church the Holy Spirit so that sins could be remitted. Sin separates us from God and from one another. The gift of the Holy Ghost allows us to combat our true oppressor - sin - and to liberate us from self-destruction so that we may have peace and unity with one another, so that we may be like our Lord and sacrifice for one another and love one another. The primary effect of Pentecost was that disparate individuals were harmoniously fused into a fellowship, a fellowship that has enabled us, 'where two or three are gathered together,' to embody Jesus Christ in the world.
Today we wear red, the colour of fire. We associate fire with the Holy Ghost, which appeared unto the disciples as cloven tongues of fire. We usually think of Hell as being a place of fire, instead of fire being a heavenly gift. Perhaps another way to think of fire is by how we use it. Do we allow our sins to burn ourselves up, or do we allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to burn away our sins? We answer this question by how we respond to Jesus. If we reject him, or perhaps even worse if we ignore him, then we are far more likely to burn in our sins. If we believe him and try to follow him, if we receive him and become part of his body, then our sins may be forgiven, and the fire of the Holy Spirit may purify and sanctify us. We have a free choice. God loves us and so allows us to choose our fate, and in effect God makes us judge ourselves. This is the fire of judgment.
We may continue to be part of the old man, the first Adam, fallen because of our grasping to be like God, our grasping to be the center and worship of the universe. Or, we can choose to have the new man, Christ, grow in us, Christ who did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of man. (Phil 2:6-7) In Eden, when the Lord formed man of dust, he breathed the spirit of life into him; this man rebelled against God, and death and sin and corruption entered creation. At Pentecost, God like a rushing, mighty wind breathed into his creation again and renewed it. His Spirit, his breath, gave life to the Church, the body of Christ, the second Adam. The risen Lord breathed on his disciples and gave them the new life of the Spirit to forgive our sin, to reverse our rebellion, to unite us with him.
If we receive Christ and his forgiveness, then he sends us out into the world to proclaim his forgiveness. It becomes the purpose of our lives just as it was Jesus' purpose. Emil Brunner, one of the great theologians of the last century, said, "The Church exists by mission as fire exists by burning." (4) The fire that appeared to the disciples on Pentecost, the fire that burns away sin, this is the fire that appeared to Moses in the burning bush. The Jews understood
the burning bush to be a symbol of the ideal Israel on fire with God's purpose. . ., yet unconsumed. The true Church [the new Israel] also exists by being the inexhaustible fuel of the Holy Spirit's mission in the world. . . . While they burn together, the branches and twigs are the fire are the fire, yet they do not in themselves constitute the fire. The fire, rather, contains them. . . and if a twig drops to the ground the fire that seemed to be in it soon vanishes. Only in [our] togetherness can Christians remain alight with the fire of the Spirit. (5)
So the Holy Spirit brings us peace and unity, and peace and unity not only bring joy, but they serve God's purpose, the purpose of mission, the purpose of building the Church. The Holy Spirit brings us unity, joy, peace, strength, consolation, but also a responsibility: mission. And the Holy Spirit inspires us to witness to God. If we feel inadequate or powerless to carry our Lord's mission, then we are doubting the Holy Spirit and shirking our responsibility. The difficulty of mission for us is nowhere near as daunting as it was for the confused, disorganised, frightened, lamenting, even despairing band of disciples on Pentecost. We have to remember that "God will accomplish his purposes through us, not because we are powerful in ourselves, but because he will show us his power through us." (6) Regardless of the situation, no matter how hopeless things seem, God's mission will be successful. We simply have to try to cooperate.
+ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
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