Last Sunday after Easter - otherwise known as Whitsunday- Br Andrew

Andre-Rublev's Saviour

  Franciscan Order Homily preached by Br. Andrew at Springwood on Sunday 24th May 2015:

  

 

 

 

Last Sunday after Easter, Pentecost otherwise known as Whitsunday, also Shavuot

Readings Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:22-27, John15:26-27-16:1 -16,

John 16:16 ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.’

Today is the last Sunday of Easter, also called Whitsunday, a feast of the universal Church dating from the first century. Whitsunday is so called from the white garments which were worn by those who were baptised during the vigil; Pentecost, ("Pfingsten" in German), is the Greek for "the fiftieth" (day after Easter).  We read in the seventh of the (interpolated) fragments attributed to St. Irenæus that Whitsunday was celebrated during apostolic times.

Pentecost is the Greek word for Shavuot and commemorates the anniversary of the day God handed the Torah to the nation of Israel assembled at Sinai.

This year Passover fell on Good Friday and the omer began to be counted on Easter Sunday, the 16^th of Nissan, hence Shavuot coincides with Whitsunday/ Christian Pentecost.

Shavuot is understood to express anticipation and desire for the giving of the Torah.

So it was that the Apostles and the other 108 waited in anticipation and desire for what Jesus had promised them. Jesus was the fulfilment of the Law, and he had gone to the Father so that He, Jesus could send another Advocate to them.

Things were never ever going to be the same again as that rushing wind and tongues of fire augured. The Holy Spirit filled that house much I imagine like a moderate cyclone in my hometown might have done had we given it half a chance, the flaming tongue reversed the confusion of Babel so that everyone present in Jerusalem that day received witness by the disciples in their own languages. Look who was there! People from Northeast Iran, from the entire Arabian Peninsula, Syria, Armenia, Iraq, those from the future Byzantine Empire i.e. many of the Cities and provinces to whom Paul later wrote; Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts, and some from the Isle of Crete. On this very day 3000 were added to their ranks and naturally, after being strengthened in the Spirit and the Gospel, those who didn’t live in Jerusalem took the Good News back to those places I have just mentioned.

What kept the Apostles here, partly the importance of Shavuot more importantly to see the fulfilment of Jesus’ words to them to stay there in the city until they had been clothed with power from on high.’ but not until Jesus had felt that the appointed time for higher teachings had come did they begin to understand they had a higher purpose. But not the Apostles only, 108 other believers were there awaiting the Advocate.

Jesus was leaving them, the Advocate was coming, Jesus would send this One once he was with the Father, and because he was going to the Father they would see Him no longer – and yet in a little while they would see Him????

When the Spirit came they would see Jesus again!

John’s Gospel is more mysterious and enigmatic than the synoptics – the other three, in John’s Gospel it almost seems as though Jesus spoke in higher parables to his disciples and without a written explanation. Yet in the part of that Gospel we didn’t read today Jesus admits to having spoken to them in riddles with the promise to speak plainly so that they will understand. Thank heavens He did because now, so do we.

Jesus must leave before the Spirit could come into this world when there will be a unified oneness (Hebrew “hen” Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29) between these three Persons in the One God, such as if Jesus had never gone away at all. This is what Jesus prayed to his father “As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:21b NRSV

Again – it is the Spirit which brings every Christian into this unified oneness, in the body of Christ this “hen”.  

That same spirit, that Holy Spirit the  Ruacḥ Haqodesh comes upon believers today to fill us with all power, if we will claim this power and use whatever gifts we are given, of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Courage, Knowledge, Reverence, Fear of the Lord ( Wonder and Awe).

Our reading in Romans tells us that the non- human, even the non-sentient world is eagerly waiting for Humanity to come of age and to achieve our mission to raise the earth to its former glory as it was before the Fall. To come of age – to grasp with both hands the unified oneness that is ours for the taking and to redeem the face of this earth.

We are called to be like God and through the hen, of the Body of Christ, to be in Him as He is in us. And to draw strength from each other to carry out the great Commission.

The ruler of this world has already been judged we just need to keep on to renew the fractured church and our environment over-exposed to the excess and greed of God’s weakest creatures.

Let’s see whether each one of us can find one thing to do this week to help this process move along.

Even when we do not know how or what to pray for God invokes our prayers through Unified Oneness with the Spirit who then prays for us.( Romans 8:27 NRSV)

Br Andrew

Pentecost Sunday: Wind and Fire! Wonder and Worship!

“But, never in my life have I been a man of eloquence,either before or since you have spoken to your servant.”

 Ex 4:10 Pentecost Sunday: Wind and Fire! Wonder and Worship!

 

The first reading for the feast of Pentecost is from the Acts of The Apostles (2:1-11) The Spirit comes with 'wind and fire' ancient signs of God's powerful presence. The "devout" at the sound assembled and those from many countries were "amazed and astonished" to hear God's word spoken in their own native language by unlearned men. St Luke mentions 16 different places like “Phrygia and Pamphylia.” The Holy Spirit then and many times since has given this gift of what is called 'Apostolic Tongues' (not to be confused with 'Prayer Tongues' or 'Prophetic Tongues'). This gift of 'Apostolic Tongues' has often been given to many missionaries who have spoken in their own native language the word of God, only to be surprised to know that people they were preaching to understand them in their own. This wonderful gift enables God to overcome the universal language of bigotry and violence. In whatever way we understand the historical 'Day of Pentecost' the meaning could not be clearer. The lines of language that have divided humanity were erased as the prophet Joel predicted by the “Spirit poured out on all flesh.” Of course the language that was understood on that day was discounted by some cynics as "drunkenness" but in this moment the confusion of the Tower of Babel in Genesis was reversed. The reversal was so that every tongue could know of the powerful deed of God - that is the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately it didn't take long for the universal language of love and mercy to be confused and confined and the ability to speak in tongues become more important than understanding what was said. But the Day of Pentecost was not just about speaking in tongues. It was about declaring the "powerful deeds of God" in ways that people could understand no matter where they came from or what language they spoke.

It is clear that the Spirit does not leave the fearful disciples comfortable, safe, and locked away in a sheltered world. When the Spirit comes those who were huddled together are driven out into the market place. That’s how the gospel message stared to spread and continues to be spread throughout the world, through many expressions of language and cultures. The Spirit gathered the disciples into one church - gathered weakness for Spirit formed strength. But the Spirit also pushed the believers beyond their normal, accustomed comfortable boundaries. God is making a point and fulfilling the promise that, in messianic time (time after Jesus), the Spirit would be poured out on ALL people. Luke's spectacular account might give us the impression that the Spirit comes only at certain moments and recedes to wait for another important time to come again. But, Pentecost teaches us that the Spirit does not pop in and out of our lives. If that were true then, when facing a difficult challenge we might be hesitant to step forward and do what needs to be done. In ALL situations the Spirit will not hold back but will come to enable and guide. Perhaps praying for the Spirit to “come” is more about our need. The Spirit is always present and the prayer reminds us of that. What we need to do is to pray and then step out to do what needs doing knowing that the Spirit will be there each step of the way.

Saint Paul under the influence of the Holy Spirit teaches the Galatian (5:16-25) Christians not to "... yield to self-indulgence, since self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit" but to be "led by the Spirit ... since the Spirit is our life." He teaches about those behaviours that are not from the Spirit. He then gives a list of sure signs of the Holy Spirit's presence in an individual; "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Jesus assures us that these Spirit formed abilities and qualities are necessary so that we can "witness" to the presence of Christ in our lives. The 12th century CE Islamic Sufi mystic wrote; "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I Am wise, so I am changing myself." The Holy Spirit who Jesus called the "Advocate" in John's gospel (15:26) comes not only to defend us but to transform us so that we can let go our ego-conditioned self-preoccupied way of life and to lives that radiate like perfume the presence of Jesus by changing ourselves. "Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave ..." The Spirit-filled Jesus shows us what can be our when we surrender ourselves to the power greater than ourselves. May this feast of the Holy Spirit's coming to birth the church, find us not only filled with joyful praise for what God is doing but also loving power to serve with true selfless joy.