St. Matthew’s Sermon 05-15-2016

Some Things Must Be Believed To Be Seen

Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17, John 14:8-17, (25-27)

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God. Amen

 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him”.

“This is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:  ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh”.

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption”.

All three of our readings for today contain references to the Holy Spirit. This is no surprise nor coincidence as this is Pentecost Sunday; the day we remember and celebrate the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the believers in Jerusalem; seen most clearly in the Book of Acts.

In this Pentecost Sunday I’m sure you expect me to talk about the Holy Spirit, and I will, but I will do so from a different angle than you might anticipate or are accustomed to. I won’t delve into the power of the Spirit; I won’t address the arguments over who sends the Spirit (God or Christ): and I won’t get into how and when we receive the Spirit. Today, I want to talk about what the Holy Spirit does, and how it does what it does.

The first thing we might notice in the Story from Acts is that the Spirit comes to a group, the gathered believers, all in one place. But… it fills each one of those gathered as individuals; remember the reading… “Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability”.

We might be tempted to think that the Spirit has taken control of each and every one of them and is now speaking through them to the crowds that gathered, but that is not quite so. In fact, in our Bible Study class we recently had a discussion about this. The specific question was “why, if the Same Spirit filled each of the Apostles, was there disagreement between them in the early Church”? So, it seems, the Spirit doesn’t give the Apostles a single mind and a consistent message.

But, as the story continues, we see Peter stand up and begin to preach on the words of the prophet Joel. Then, beyond today’s reading, about three thousand persons were Baptized into the new faith.

By this we can see that Peter, along with the others who were all silent to this point, were emboldened to speak what they knew in their hearts, and through this, were able to reach a lot more people and add them to the role of believers.

So, we can see that, at least in this first appearance of the Spirit, it is a Spirit of empowerment; one that enables the Apostles to spread the Good News as Christ had charged them to do, but to this moment in his absence, they were not confident enough to do; and one that enables them to speak clearly of the Messiah in every language they would need to spread the Good News. As Christ was Heavenly power breaking into human life; the Spirit is the continuation of that same action of Heavenly power manifested in Christ’s Disciples.

This is, of course, the nut-shell version of what the Holy Spirit does, we don’t have time today to get into all the details, but it is confirmed by today’s readings; Jesus made the promise, it was fulfilled in the day of Pentecost, and Paul confirms it in many of his writings.

There’s another thread that weaves through all three of today’s readings. It is more obvious in the Gospel reading…

“Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me”?

And, it’s a little less obvious in the reading from Acts but it’s still there…

“Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language”? “They are filled with new wine” They’re drunk. “…these are not drunk, as you suppose…”

And as for Romans, we might do better to recognize that the selected reading is a small part of Paul’s dissertation on the Spirit-filled life, but when he writes “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption… it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God…”, we can still find it if we look closely. The thread I am referring to is that of “Believing”.

In the Gospel reading, when Phillip asked to see God, it’s clear that he still hadn’t grasped the idea that Jesus was God in human form; he did not believe. In Acts, when the doubtful assume that these Galileans, who are generally known to lack eloquent linguistic skills, are all drunk, they apparently don’t want to believe. And, when Paul writes multiple chapters attempting to clarify what it means to be living a Spirit-filled life in Christ, it’s apparent that the Christians in Rome had not yet taken hold of the truth; they, too, didn’t fully believe.

But when the Spirit falls upon the Disciples, they were taught everything and reminded of everything Christ had taught them. They were changed, they believed, and they were empowered to do what Christ had taught them to do!

And those flames that rested on them; they are not only the evidence of the Spirit, they are evidence of the fire that was lit in each of them! Whereas, before, they were cold and fearful, now they are bold; once again full of the fire Jesus had kindled in their hearts; driven to spread the Good News, empowered to speak the Word of God and Christ in new, exciting, “inspired” ways!

Right about now you might be thinking that I just circled back to “what the Spirit does”. In a way, I guess I did. But in between I talked about belief; and it is through belief that we find the answer to “how the Spirit does what it does”.

The Holy Spirit, the very same Spirit that filled the Disciples and turned them into Apostles, is with us today; it always was, it is, and it always will be. Did you notice, in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus saying “You know [the Spirit], because [it] abides with you, and [it] will be in you”.  The question is, as Jesus raises just before he spoke that last quote, do you “see” the Spirit in you? Jesus said “This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him”.

You’ve heard it said that “Some things must be seen to be believed”. But when it comes to our Christian faith things must be believed to be seen.

The Holy Spirit is with us; even within each and every one of us; but it is up to us to first, recognize it, and then allow it to move us in the ways God would have us move; to see it and let it empower us to do what needs to be done. The ‘how’ of the Holy Spirit isn’t found in its own power but in the power it inspires within us when we allow the spark that Christ kindled to become a roaring flame; a fire that denies quenching; a force that pushes us forward in our Christian journey and our mission; fearlessly, confidently, and clearly!

Let the Spirit move you! Allow yourself to be amazed; “…you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear”, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid”.

Amen.

Acts 2:1-21
2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
2:2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
2:3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.
2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
2:5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.
2:6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.
2:7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
2:8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?
2:9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
2:11 Cretans and Arabs–in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”
2:12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
2:13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
2:14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.
2:15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
2:16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
2:17 ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
2:18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.
2:19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
2:20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
2:21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Romans 8:14-17
8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
8:15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!”
8:16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
8:17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ–if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

John 14:8-17, (25-27)
14:8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.
14:12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
14:13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14:14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.
14:17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
14:25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you.
14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.
14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.