A January Pentecost
Commentary
I’m not sure I want to steal any thunder from your preaching for Pentecost later this year, but it doesn’t hurt us to remind folks that the action of the Holy Spirit isn’t limited to a cataclysmic event on the hinge between Easter Season and Ordinary Time. Though these three texts immerse us in rushing water, we’d best stand fast for the onrushing of God’s Spirit through the lives of the faithful and our own lives as well.
The book Ante Pacem (Latin for “Before the Peace”) by Graydon F. Snyder explores the artwork that ordinary Christians found inspiring in that era before Christianity became legal in the Roman empire. The most popular story depicted in artwork was that of Jonah, especially those elements depicting Jonah spewed out on the shore after surviving his encounter with the waters of Chaos and the Leviathan-like sea creature. The waters represented the forces of chaos that were subdued by the Spirit of God moving over the face of the deeps in the first Genesis account of creation. Christians in the Roman empire found themselves confronted with the forces of chaos through persecution and suppression. Baptism represented in part their survival through their faith against these powers. (If for some reason you look for a copy of this book, I recommend the second edition over the first.)
All these scriptures demonstrate the power of God’s Holy Spirit to sustain us through times of great difficulty, even death. Whether it is the threat we might feel from our enemies -- was there such a thing as a “good” Samaritan to early Christians? -- from the political chaos described by Isaiah, or the crucial decision to be baptized, we have these examples of God leading us through and beyond the threatening waters to a well-pleased God’s delight.
Acts 8:14-17
The Ken Burns documentary about the Civil War introduced audiences to several voices they perhaps had never heard -- individuals whose letters and diaries opened up the deepest thoughts from the heart of Northerners and Southerners alike.
Some of the most interesting snippets came from the diary of Elisha Hunt Rhodes. Rhodes (1842-1917) rose in the ranks from corporal to colonel in the Army of the Potomac, and he participated in and survived most of the major battles of the Civil War. In his diary he regularly records his worship life, attending services in camp and in whatever town he was near whenever it was possible. This included churches in the South, especially towards the end of the war, as a member of the occupying army. While he notes those occasions where he did not appreciate the slant of the message delivered by southern preachers, it is clear that he assumes that he is worshiping with fellow Christians -- despite the fact that they and he considered each other the enemy. I wonder how much this matches the way the apostles must have felt when they heard of the work Philip was doing among the Samaritans, leading them to send an official delegation that included John and Peter. Remember, Jesus did not tell the parable of the Good Samaritan because the first hearers thought Samaritans were good. In our own polarized age, when people bring political, economic, and ethnic barriers from the larger society into the church, this text may speak very clearly about the power and presence of the Holy Spirit among people that we define as different while God recognizes us as one in Christ.
John and Peter go to be with the people; they don’t demand they come to them. We are called to go where people are, physically or spiritually or societally. They don’t have to learn our jargon or shorthand.
This is the Pentecost that comes with time out of joint, demonstrating God’s power was not limited to Acts 2 but continues into our own age. And it is a dangerous Pentecost, because the harvest is going to bring in folks we may or may not feel comfortable with.
Isaiah 43:1-7
Isaiah uses the language of creation at the start of this passage to state that God is creating Israel anew! The emperor Cyrus has conquered Babylon and allowed the people to return to Jerusalem. Two of the signal moments of the Exodus had been the crossing of the Red Sea to safety, and the final crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land. For this new exodus God promises that the river will not be a barrier at this time either. God has called us by name and we are his (much like the divine proclamation at the baptism of Jesus). A people scattered to the four winds will be gathered again, “Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you...” (43:4).
They may fear because the chaos of uprooting themselves, the chaos of the barriers represented by the waters, and the chaos of the nations who oppose them may seem overwhelming, but the people will experience God’s faithfulness, through the waters and beyond!
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
John the Baptist has distinguished himself by refusing to be a crowd-pleaser, which paradoxically has led to large crowds gathering to hear him! Prior to these excerpts, John’s message is odd and even off-putting: Don’t count on your church credentials to save you; God is able to raise up children of Abraham from the stones! Those who take his words seriously ask what they should do, and the answer is clear: Practice justice according to the prophetic expectations of the scriptures; if you have two tunics, share one of them; if you are in a position of authority like the tax collectors, don’t abuse your position. Even soldiers of the occupying army ask what they should do, and they are told not to abuse their positions of power.
This leads some to wonder if John himself is the Messiah, but he disabuses them of this notion. We ourselves who lead others to Christ ought to be wary of some considering us as their savior. We point to one who is mightier. And whether it is Jesus (the savior of the world) or John the Baptist who prepares the way of the Lord (or us, who in this latter age attempt to do the same as John) -- focusing on the call to justice that permeates the ministry of Jesus as well as the prophets is the essential place to start.
In Luke’s account of the baptism, there is a sharp contrast between the prophetic words which John and we Christians must sometimes share with each other, and God’s word following the baptism of Jesus, which is affirming and filled with delight. Jesus passes through the waters of chaos to a place of peace and divine favor. Trouble certainly lies ahead, as it does for all of us.
The book Ante Pacem (Latin for “Before the Peace”) by Graydon F. Snyder explores the artwork that ordinary Christians found inspiring in that era before Christianity became legal in the Roman empire. The most popular story depicted in artwork was that of Jonah, especially those elements depicting Jonah spewed out on the shore after surviving his encounter with the waters of Chaos and the Leviathan-like sea creature. The waters represented the forces of chaos that were subdued by the Spirit of God moving over the face of the deeps in the first Genesis account of creation. Christians in the Roman empire found themselves confronted with the forces of chaos through persecution and suppression. Baptism represented in part their survival through their faith against these powers. (If for some reason you look for a copy of this book, I recommend the second edition over the first.)
All these scriptures demonstrate the power of God’s Holy Spirit to sustain us through times of great difficulty, even death. Whether it is the threat we might feel from our enemies -- was there such a thing as a “good” Samaritan to early Christians? -- from the political chaos described by Isaiah, or the crucial decision to be baptized, we have these examples of God leading us through and beyond the threatening waters to a well-pleased God’s delight.
Acts 8:14-17
The Ken Burns documentary about the Civil War introduced audiences to several voices they perhaps had never heard -- individuals whose letters and diaries opened up the deepest thoughts from the heart of Northerners and Southerners alike.
Some of the most interesting snippets came from the diary of Elisha Hunt Rhodes. Rhodes (1842-1917) rose in the ranks from corporal to colonel in the Army of the Potomac, and he participated in and survived most of the major battles of the Civil War. In his diary he regularly records his worship life, attending services in camp and in whatever town he was near whenever it was possible. This included churches in the South, especially towards the end of the war, as a member of the occupying army. While he notes those occasions where he did not appreciate the slant of the message delivered by southern preachers, it is clear that he assumes that he is worshiping with fellow Christians -- despite the fact that they and he considered each other the enemy. I wonder how much this matches the way the apostles must have felt when they heard of the work Philip was doing among the Samaritans, leading them to send an official delegation that included John and Peter. Remember, Jesus did not tell the parable of the Good Samaritan because the first hearers thought Samaritans were good. In our own polarized age, when people bring political, economic, and ethnic barriers from the larger society into the church, this text may speak very clearly about the power and presence of the Holy Spirit among people that we define as different while God recognizes us as one in Christ.
John and Peter go to be with the people; they don’t demand they come to them. We are called to go where people are, physically or spiritually or societally. They don’t have to learn our jargon or shorthand.
This is the Pentecost that comes with time out of joint, demonstrating God’s power was not limited to Acts 2 but continues into our own age. And it is a dangerous Pentecost, because the harvest is going to bring in folks we may or may not feel comfortable with.
Isaiah 43:1-7
Isaiah uses the language of creation at the start of this passage to state that God is creating Israel anew! The emperor Cyrus has conquered Babylon and allowed the people to return to Jerusalem. Two of the signal moments of the Exodus had been the crossing of the Red Sea to safety, and the final crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land. For this new exodus God promises that the river will not be a barrier at this time either. God has called us by name and we are his (much like the divine proclamation at the baptism of Jesus). A people scattered to the four winds will be gathered again, “Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you...” (43:4).
They may fear because the chaos of uprooting themselves, the chaos of the barriers represented by the waters, and the chaos of the nations who oppose them may seem overwhelming, but the people will experience God’s faithfulness, through the waters and beyond!
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
John the Baptist has distinguished himself by refusing to be a crowd-pleaser, which paradoxically has led to large crowds gathering to hear him! Prior to these excerpts, John’s message is odd and even off-putting: Don’t count on your church credentials to save you; God is able to raise up children of Abraham from the stones! Those who take his words seriously ask what they should do, and the answer is clear: Practice justice according to the prophetic expectations of the scriptures; if you have two tunics, share one of them; if you are in a position of authority like the tax collectors, don’t abuse your position. Even soldiers of the occupying army ask what they should do, and they are told not to abuse their positions of power.
This leads some to wonder if John himself is the Messiah, but he disabuses them of this notion. We ourselves who lead others to Christ ought to be wary of some considering us as their savior. We point to one who is mightier. And whether it is Jesus (the savior of the world) or John the Baptist who prepares the way of the Lord (or us, who in this latter age attempt to do the same as John) -- focusing on the call to justice that permeates the ministry of Jesus as well as the prophets is the essential place to start.
In Luke’s account of the baptism, there is a sharp contrast between the prophetic words which John and we Christians must sometimes share with each other, and God’s word following the baptism of Jesus, which is affirming and filled with delight. Jesus passes through the waters of chaos to a place of peace and divine favor. Trouble certainly lies ahead, as it does for all of us.
