Day of Pentecost
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VIII, Cycle B
Revised Common
Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14
Romans 8:22-27 or Acts 2:1-21
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
Roman Catholic
Acts 2:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13
John 20:19-23
Episcopal
Acts 2:1-11 or Isaiah 44:1-8
1 Corinthians 12:4-13 or Acts 2:1-11
John 20:19-23 or John 14:8-17
Theme For The Day
The gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is a gift of mutual understanding.
First Lesson
Acts 2:1-21
The Day Of Pentecost
The details of this story are well known: the disciples gathered fearfully in one place, the sound of a rushing wind, "divided tongues as of fire" appearing over each one's head and the newfound ability to speak -- and, more remarkably, to be understood -- in other languages. The Holy Spirit, of course, gets the credit for these ecstatic gifts. In verses 5-11, Luke tells of the astonishment of the polyglot Jerusalem crowd, who hear individual disciples speaking in their own languages. It should be pointed out that, in this passage, the only tongues being spoken are intelligible human languages, not the glossolalia of 1 Corinthians 14. Luke's list of the various nations represented in the crowd is a catalogue of all the places to which the apostles will soon travel, spreading the good news -- first to the people of the Jewish diaspora in those lands, and then (after the events of Acts 10) to the Gentiles. Not everyone "gets it," though: there are some bystanders who only sneer, "They are filled with new wine" (v. 13). This story sets the stage for all that will follow in the rest of the book: the drama of the growth of the church of Jesus Christ, in which the Holy Spirit is the principal actor.
Alternate First Lesson
Ezekiel 37:1-14
The Valley Of Dry Bones
This is Ezekiel's mystical vision of the valley of the dry bones. Essential to understanding this passage is the fact that the "vast multitude" in verse 10 is in fact the slaughtered army of Israel. In vivid imagery, the prophet describes how the bleached bones on this ancient battlefield come together, become enfleshed, and live. The people say, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely" (v. 11b); but nothing is impossible with God. There are some standard prophetic devices here: the Spirit of the Lord miraculously transporting Ezekiel to the place (v. 1), the dialogue between the Lord and the prophet (v. 3 and elsewhere), the Lord telling the prophet what to say (v. 4), and the predicted result that humans "shall know that I am the Lord" (v. 5). A powerful story, and appropriate indeed for Pentecost.
New Testament Lesson
Romans 8:22-27
The Spirit Helps Us In Our Weakness
It is unfortunate that the lectionary breaks into the middle of this great Pauline argument as it does -- although if the text is used only as a subsidiary reading to support the story of Pentecost from Acts 2, that is perhaps not so great a matter. Romans 8 is certainly deserving of a sermon in its own right, though, and those who undertake such an effort would do well to back up and begin the scriptural teaching at an earlier point in this letter, perhaps with verse 18 (and possibly earlier). Much of this chapter has been devoted to a detailed exposition of the difference between flesh and spirit. Beginning with verse 18, Paul speaks of human suffering. Although suffering is very much a part of human life, help is on the way: all creation will soon be set free (v. 21). The suffering of this present time, is in fact, not futile. It is a productive kind of suffering, like labor pains (v. 22). There is much groaning, to be sure, but a new birth of hope is coming soon. Hope, by its very nature, is in things unseen (v. 24). In these between-times, "the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words" (v. 26). The Spirit is our intercessor, our helper.
Alternate New Testament Lesson
Acts 2:1-21
The Day Of Pentecost
If the Pentecost story from Acts has not been used as a First Lesson, it may be used as an alternate Second Lesson (see above).
The Gospel
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
The Coming Of The Advocate
For the larger context of this passage, see the Fifth Sunday Of Easter (p. 129). Jesus has been speaking of himself as the true vine and, beginning at verse 18, has been speaking to the disciples about persecutions and sufferings that will inevitably come upon them. Here in this passage, he comforts them with the teaching that the Holy Spirit will be with them through those times of trial, as their "advocate" (parakletos -- v. 26). This is courtroom imagery: a parakletos is like an attorney for the defense. The lectionary selection then jumps to chapter 16, v. 4b: Jesus must depart from the disciples, he tells them, for the Spirit will not be able to come and advocate for them until after he is gone (v. 7). The advocate "will prove the world wrong" -- more courtroom terminology: the Spirit will literally "convict the world of its error" (v. 8). Throughout the Gospel of John, the Spirit is powerfully associated with truth ("he will guide you into all truth" -- v. 13). As with the Romans 8 passage, a sermon on this passage should go beyond the fragmented lectionary selection and treat the larger block of material.
Preaching Possibilities
The story of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is precious to every denominational and theological tradition within the Christian church, yet no biblical account has inspired such widely varying interpretations. One major branch of Christianity -- the Pentecostal tradition -- views this incident as the source of its most cherished and distinctive beliefs; yet in truth, the Pentecost story belongs to no single tradition. Were any single tradition to try to claim this unique and miraculous event for its own, it would be contradicting the wild, unbridled diversity that is at the heart of this story. As William Willimon points out, one has the impression, in reading the second chapter of Acts, that Luke's account -- strange as it seems -- barely scratches the surface of the strangeness that was in the Jerusalem air that day:
More than one interpretation can be offered for what happened in the upper room at Pentecost. No single formulation can do it justice. We are listening to the account of something strange, beyond the bounds of imagination, miraculous, inscrutable, an origin which, as far as Luke is concerned, was the only way one could "explain" the existence of the church. No flat, prosaic explanation can do justice to the truth of how the church came into being and how the once timid disciples found their tongues to proclaim the truth of Christ.
-- William H. Willimon, Acts, in the Interpretation series (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1988), p. 29
It couldn't have been very organized, or very genteel. It isn't high tea, with all the disciples sitting around and conversing with the delicacy of diplomats. No, Pentecost is a little bit of heaven breaking in. There is the rush of a mighty wind, and tongues of fire dancing around; there's screaming and sweating and running and embracing. No one -- not even the eloquent Luke -- could ever convey the experience in words. It is a joyous, chaotic, frightening moment. Confusion and bewilderment, and more than a little wonder -- that's Pentecost.
At the heart of it all is this remarkable experience of mutual understanding. According to the Pentecost story, understanding is a gift of the Spirit. And so it is -- for we human beings are so prone to misunderstanding one another, that it sometimes seems a miracle we can communicate at all.
Language is only one thing that divides us. There are also differences of experience, of economic status, of gender, of age. Sometimes it feels like each of us is ultimately alone -- sealed up in our private world, never able to see into the heart of another. The lesson of Pentecost, however, is that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, communication -- and communion -- can and does take place.
There are certain writers in the field of church growth who insist that the fastest way for a church to grow is to gather a group of people who are similar to each other as possible. If the church is a voluntary association of like-minded people, then the more things your people have in common, the more likely they will be to invite all their friends.
Pretty simple, isn't it? -- if it weren't for one small problem. This kind of thinking flies in the face of Pentecost. A Pentecost church does not form itself out of "like-minded people"; it will be a motley assortment of all types and conditions of humanity. There will be rich and poor, young and old, the accepted and the rejected. There will be those who proclaim, "I've made it!" and those who lay in their beds after the alarm clock rings and pray, "Lord, just get me through another day." The mixed-ups, the up-and-comings, the down-and-outs and the down-to-earth all find a place in Christ's church.
There is unity in the church of Jesus Christ, but not a whole lot of uniformity. In the Roman world, everyone knew where unity came from -- it came from power. The tramping boots of Roman legions had brought to the world a sort of superficial unity. You could travel from the British Isles to the Arabian desert, and if Latin were the only language you knew, it was enough to get by.
Yet, that is not the unity of Pentecost. Luke lists all those diverse nationalities, then points out that in their own languages they hear them speak. In the unity of God, no language is elevated higher than any other. No one is cast out, set aside or put down. God comes and speaks to us, on our own terms.
And, more than that, by that same Spirit we are empowered to understand. Would that the church of Jesus Christ could claim this spiritual gift more often, and with boldness!
Prayer For The Day
Teach us to love you as your angels love,
One holy passion filling all our frame
The baptism of the heaven-descended dove,
Our hearts an altar, and your love the flame.
-- Adapted from George Croly, "Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart," 1854
To Illustrate
It was Winston Churchill who said that England and the United States are "two countries divided by a common language." Yet how often that can be true even within the most intimate of human institutions, the family. How easy it can be for husband and wife, parent and child, brother and sister, to talk with each other for hours on end, both parties speaking English -- yet neither one truly understanding the other on the deepest level! Pentecost celebrates the Holy Spirit's gift of understanding on the deepest level.
***
Those who work in hospice ministry tell how frequently it happens that certain dying patients, who have functioned perfectly well using English as a second language, gradually revert to their first language on their deathbed. If their dying is prolonged, they may lose English altogether -- creating certain practical difficulties for the hospice team, who may have to scramble to find a translator.
It's a beautiful thing, though, in its own way: how, when certain people prepare to cross over into the next life, they are focusing so clearly on seeing their parents and grandparents, those who have gone before them -- and how they may journey, in memory, back to the time in distant childhood when they first met Jesus. It only makes sense that they would want to function, from that point onward, in the language of home -- for home is where they are headed.
The miracle of Pentecost is that our God addresses us in the language of home: "In our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." That's because our relationship with God is meant to be intimate. God means there to be no barriers to our understanding, no obstacles to block our awareness that God is near.
When Jesus himself is dying on the cross, he speaks not Greek, the language of commerce and learning, which is a second language for him. Nor does he speak Hebrew, the language of his religious faith. He speaks Aramaic: Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In his dying agony, he reverts to the language he learned at his mother's knee.
There is another occasion when the gospel writers record Jesus speaking Aramaic. When he's teaching the disciples to pray, he instructs them to address God as "Abba" -- the Aramaic diminutive for "Father." Literally, he's advising them to address God as "Daddy."
In death and in prayer ... in times of extreme solitude -- when (as the gospel hymn puts it), "we've got to walk that lonesome valley, we've got to walk it by ourselves" we hear God speaking to us in our own language. And that's a wonder and a joy.
***
In the Christian vision, one Greek word has consistently characterized the Holy Spirit: dynamis, from which we get our word dynamite. The Spirit is Power, the Spirit is dynamite.
-- Walter J. Burghardt
***
Power can be used in at least two ways: it can be unleashed, or it can be harnessed. The energy in ten gallons of gasoline, for instance, can be released explosively by dropping a lighted match into the can. Or it can be channeled through the engine of a Honda in a controlled burn and used to transport a person 350 miles. Explosions are spectacular, but controlled burns have lasting effect, staying power. The Holy Spirit works both ways.
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit exploded on the scene; its presence was like "tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3). Thousands were affected by one burst of God's power. But the Spirit also works through the church -- the institution God began to tap the Holy Spirit's power for the long haul. Through worship, fellowship, and service, Christians are provided with staying power.
-- Anonymous
***
Dean Heather Murray Elkins of Drew Seminary speaks of the power of God's Holy Spirit as we con-spire with it in the work of co-creation. To con-spire means "to breathe with." The Hebrew word for God's breath is ruah; God breathed life into the first human beings. Ruah translated to Greek becomes Spirit. The Holy Spirit then is literally God's breath, breathing new life into our very bodies, breathing into the plant and animal life of the earth, as we respire in perfect balance in this delicate dance of life. We are called to be agents of the Holy Spirit's con-spiracy to transform humanity, to bring us back into right relationship with all that is and with God.
-- Cynthia Crowner, "A Conspiracy of Healing Power," in The Ridgeleaf, newsletter of the Kirkridge retreat center, March 1999
Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14
Romans 8:22-27 or Acts 2:1-21
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
Roman Catholic
Acts 2:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13
John 20:19-23
Episcopal
Acts 2:1-11 or Isaiah 44:1-8
1 Corinthians 12:4-13 or Acts 2:1-11
John 20:19-23 or John 14:8-17
Theme For The Day
The gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is a gift of mutual understanding.
First Lesson
Acts 2:1-21
The Day Of Pentecost
The details of this story are well known: the disciples gathered fearfully in one place, the sound of a rushing wind, "divided tongues as of fire" appearing over each one's head and the newfound ability to speak -- and, more remarkably, to be understood -- in other languages. The Holy Spirit, of course, gets the credit for these ecstatic gifts. In verses 5-11, Luke tells of the astonishment of the polyglot Jerusalem crowd, who hear individual disciples speaking in their own languages. It should be pointed out that, in this passage, the only tongues being spoken are intelligible human languages, not the glossolalia of 1 Corinthians 14. Luke's list of the various nations represented in the crowd is a catalogue of all the places to which the apostles will soon travel, spreading the good news -- first to the people of the Jewish diaspora in those lands, and then (after the events of Acts 10) to the Gentiles. Not everyone "gets it," though: there are some bystanders who only sneer, "They are filled with new wine" (v. 13). This story sets the stage for all that will follow in the rest of the book: the drama of the growth of the church of Jesus Christ, in which the Holy Spirit is the principal actor.
Alternate First Lesson
Ezekiel 37:1-14
The Valley Of Dry Bones
This is Ezekiel's mystical vision of the valley of the dry bones. Essential to understanding this passage is the fact that the "vast multitude" in verse 10 is in fact the slaughtered army of Israel. In vivid imagery, the prophet describes how the bleached bones on this ancient battlefield come together, become enfleshed, and live. The people say, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely" (v. 11b); but nothing is impossible with God. There are some standard prophetic devices here: the Spirit of the Lord miraculously transporting Ezekiel to the place (v. 1), the dialogue between the Lord and the prophet (v. 3 and elsewhere), the Lord telling the prophet what to say (v. 4), and the predicted result that humans "shall know that I am the Lord" (v. 5). A powerful story, and appropriate indeed for Pentecost.
New Testament Lesson
Romans 8:22-27
The Spirit Helps Us In Our Weakness
It is unfortunate that the lectionary breaks into the middle of this great Pauline argument as it does -- although if the text is used only as a subsidiary reading to support the story of Pentecost from Acts 2, that is perhaps not so great a matter. Romans 8 is certainly deserving of a sermon in its own right, though, and those who undertake such an effort would do well to back up and begin the scriptural teaching at an earlier point in this letter, perhaps with verse 18 (and possibly earlier). Much of this chapter has been devoted to a detailed exposition of the difference between flesh and spirit. Beginning with verse 18, Paul speaks of human suffering. Although suffering is very much a part of human life, help is on the way: all creation will soon be set free (v. 21). The suffering of this present time, is in fact, not futile. It is a productive kind of suffering, like labor pains (v. 22). There is much groaning, to be sure, but a new birth of hope is coming soon. Hope, by its very nature, is in things unseen (v. 24). In these between-times, "the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words" (v. 26). The Spirit is our intercessor, our helper.
Alternate New Testament Lesson
Acts 2:1-21
The Day Of Pentecost
If the Pentecost story from Acts has not been used as a First Lesson, it may be used as an alternate Second Lesson (see above).
The Gospel
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
The Coming Of The Advocate
For the larger context of this passage, see the Fifth Sunday Of Easter (p. 129). Jesus has been speaking of himself as the true vine and, beginning at verse 18, has been speaking to the disciples about persecutions and sufferings that will inevitably come upon them. Here in this passage, he comforts them with the teaching that the Holy Spirit will be with them through those times of trial, as their "advocate" (parakletos -- v. 26). This is courtroom imagery: a parakletos is like an attorney for the defense. The lectionary selection then jumps to chapter 16, v. 4b: Jesus must depart from the disciples, he tells them, for the Spirit will not be able to come and advocate for them until after he is gone (v. 7). The advocate "will prove the world wrong" -- more courtroom terminology: the Spirit will literally "convict the world of its error" (v. 8). Throughout the Gospel of John, the Spirit is powerfully associated with truth ("he will guide you into all truth" -- v. 13). As with the Romans 8 passage, a sermon on this passage should go beyond the fragmented lectionary selection and treat the larger block of material.
Preaching Possibilities
The story of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is precious to every denominational and theological tradition within the Christian church, yet no biblical account has inspired such widely varying interpretations. One major branch of Christianity -- the Pentecostal tradition -- views this incident as the source of its most cherished and distinctive beliefs; yet in truth, the Pentecost story belongs to no single tradition. Were any single tradition to try to claim this unique and miraculous event for its own, it would be contradicting the wild, unbridled diversity that is at the heart of this story. As William Willimon points out, one has the impression, in reading the second chapter of Acts, that Luke's account -- strange as it seems -- barely scratches the surface of the strangeness that was in the Jerusalem air that day:
More than one interpretation can be offered for what happened in the upper room at Pentecost. No single formulation can do it justice. We are listening to the account of something strange, beyond the bounds of imagination, miraculous, inscrutable, an origin which, as far as Luke is concerned, was the only way one could "explain" the existence of the church. No flat, prosaic explanation can do justice to the truth of how the church came into being and how the once timid disciples found their tongues to proclaim the truth of Christ.
-- William H. Willimon, Acts, in the Interpretation series (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1988), p. 29
It couldn't have been very organized, or very genteel. It isn't high tea, with all the disciples sitting around and conversing with the delicacy of diplomats. No, Pentecost is a little bit of heaven breaking in. There is the rush of a mighty wind, and tongues of fire dancing around; there's screaming and sweating and running and embracing. No one -- not even the eloquent Luke -- could ever convey the experience in words. It is a joyous, chaotic, frightening moment. Confusion and bewilderment, and more than a little wonder -- that's Pentecost.
At the heart of it all is this remarkable experience of mutual understanding. According to the Pentecost story, understanding is a gift of the Spirit. And so it is -- for we human beings are so prone to misunderstanding one another, that it sometimes seems a miracle we can communicate at all.
Language is only one thing that divides us. There are also differences of experience, of economic status, of gender, of age. Sometimes it feels like each of us is ultimately alone -- sealed up in our private world, never able to see into the heart of another. The lesson of Pentecost, however, is that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, communication -- and communion -- can and does take place.
There are certain writers in the field of church growth who insist that the fastest way for a church to grow is to gather a group of people who are similar to each other as possible. If the church is a voluntary association of like-minded people, then the more things your people have in common, the more likely they will be to invite all their friends.
Pretty simple, isn't it? -- if it weren't for one small problem. This kind of thinking flies in the face of Pentecost. A Pentecost church does not form itself out of "like-minded people"; it will be a motley assortment of all types and conditions of humanity. There will be rich and poor, young and old, the accepted and the rejected. There will be those who proclaim, "I've made it!" and those who lay in their beds after the alarm clock rings and pray, "Lord, just get me through another day." The mixed-ups, the up-and-comings, the down-and-outs and the down-to-earth all find a place in Christ's church.
There is unity in the church of Jesus Christ, but not a whole lot of uniformity. In the Roman world, everyone knew where unity came from -- it came from power. The tramping boots of Roman legions had brought to the world a sort of superficial unity. You could travel from the British Isles to the Arabian desert, and if Latin were the only language you knew, it was enough to get by.
Yet, that is not the unity of Pentecost. Luke lists all those diverse nationalities, then points out that in their own languages they hear them speak. In the unity of God, no language is elevated higher than any other. No one is cast out, set aside or put down. God comes and speaks to us, on our own terms.
And, more than that, by that same Spirit we are empowered to understand. Would that the church of Jesus Christ could claim this spiritual gift more often, and with boldness!
Prayer For The Day
Teach us to love you as your angels love,
One holy passion filling all our frame
The baptism of the heaven-descended dove,
Our hearts an altar, and your love the flame.
-- Adapted from George Croly, "Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart," 1854
To Illustrate
It was Winston Churchill who said that England and the United States are "two countries divided by a common language." Yet how often that can be true even within the most intimate of human institutions, the family. How easy it can be for husband and wife, parent and child, brother and sister, to talk with each other for hours on end, both parties speaking English -- yet neither one truly understanding the other on the deepest level! Pentecost celebrates the Holy Spirit's gift of understanding on the deepest level.
***
Those who work in hospice ministry tell how frequently it happens that certain dying patients, who have functioned perfectly well using English as a second language, gradually revert to their first language on their deathbed. If their dying is prolonged, they may lose English altogether -- creating certain practical difficulties for the hospice team, who may have to scramble to find a translator.
It's a beautiful thing, though, in its own way: how, when certain people prepare to cross over into the next life, they are focusing so clearly on seeing their parents and grandparents, those who have gone before them -- and how they may journey, in memory, back to the time in distant childhood when they first met Jesus. It only makes sense that they would want to function, from that point onward, in the language of home -- for home is where they are headed.
The miracle of Pentecost is that our God addresses us in the language of home: "In our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." That's because our relationship with God is meant to be intimate. God means there to be no barriers to our understanding, no obstacles to block our awareness that God is near.
When Jesus himself is dying on the cross, he speaks not Greek, the language of commerce and learning, which is a second language for him. Nor does he speak Hebrew, the language of his religious faith. He speaks Aramaic: Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In his dying agony, he reverts to the language he learned at his mother's knee.
There is another occasion when the gospel writers record Jesus speaking Aramaic. When he's teaching the disciples to pray, he instructs them to address God as "Abba" -- the Aramaic diminutive for "Father." Literally, he's advising them to address God as "Daddy."
In death and in prayer ... in times of extreme solitude -- when (as the gospel hymn puts it), "we've got to walk that lonesome valley, we've got to walk it by ourselves" we hear God speaking to us in our own language. And that's a wonder and a joy.
***
In the Christian vision, one Greek word has consistently characterized the Holy Spirit: dynamis, from which we get our word dynamite. The Spirit is Power, the Spirit is dynamite.
-- Walter J. Burghardt
***
Power can be used in at least two ways: it can be unleashed, or it can be harnessed. The energy in ten gallons of gasoline, for instance, can be released explosively by dropping a lighted match into the can. Or it can be channeled through the engine of a Honda in a controlled burn and used to transport a person 350 miles. Explosions are spectacular, but controlled burns have lasting effect, staying power. The Holy Spirit works both ways.
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit exploded on the scene; its presence was like "tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3). Thousands were affected by one burst of God's power. But the Spirit also works through the church -- the institution God began to tap the Holy Spirit's power for the long haul. Through worship, fellowship, and service, Christians are provided with staying power.
-- Anonymous
***
Dean Heather Murray Elkins of Drew Seminary speaks of the power of God's Holy Spirit as we con-spire with it in the work of co-creation. To con-spire means "to breathe with." The Hebrew word for God's breath is ruah; God breathed life into the first human beings. Ruah translated to Greek becomes Spirit. The Holy Spirit then is literally God's breath, breathing new life into our very bodies, breathing into the plant and animal life of the earth, as we respire in perfect balance in this delicate dance of life. We are called to be agents of the Holy Spirit's con-spiracy to transform humanity, to bring us back into right relationship with all that is and with God.
-- Cynthia Crowner, "A Conspiracy of Healing Power," in The Ridgeleaf, newsletter of the Kirkridge retreat center, March 1999
