2023 Pentecost Sunday

Last week I talked about the glory of God in the context of the Ascension of Jesus. If you were here you might remember this, but for the sake of those who were not, I explained that the Hebrew word kabod carries in its meaning both a shining shimmering brightness and a weightiness. Kabod, glory, is connected to the glory of God. It is something different from the Greek word doxa which is more about honor and reputation. I reminded us all that when Jesus prayed to his father that his followers be glorified, it was more about the Hebrew idea of the presence of God which shines into the darkest of places—through us. To paraphrase both St. Paul and St. Teresa of Avila, we are Christ’s hands and feet, Christ’s eyes and ears and heart, in this world.

Today, Pentecost, is the day when we celebrate that God doesn’t expect us to do that on our own. God knows we can’t do it on our own. We need the Holy Spirit to fill us, empower us, encourage us…even give us a little push when necessary, to go out and be bearers of that glorious light.

The disciples, gathered in that upper room, still afraid, still unclear about what happens next, don’t know what hit them that morning.

A sound of rushing wind—we have heard plenty of that these last few weeks, haven’t we?—roars into the room, breaking open the locks and breaking down the barriers that they had put in place, hoping to stay safe.

The Holy Spirit makes her presence known in a sound, first.

A couple of weeks ago, I was here early on a Wednesday, and every so often I heard a knocking sound. I went to the door, but there was no one there. I walked down the ramp to see if they were knocking someplace else. Nothing. Nobody.

I went back inside and it started again. “Oh, c’mon, stop playing tricks on me!” I thought as I went out to the door again. Still no sign of anybody.

I told Peter Bickford about it, and he was puzzled, too, until he heard it for himself. “That’s the wind, Nancy.”

I had never heard of the wind knocking on the door! We later found what it was—a loose bit of board on the soffit (anybody who wants to climb up on a ladder and nail it back into place, feel free!) But that idea of the wind knocking on the door stuck with me.

The Holy Spirit was not nearly so polite, that Pentecost morning.

But noisy knocking wasn’t enough. The Holy Spirit didn’t just make noise. The Glory of God showed up and set each one of them alight.  There was no ignoring it after that!

The Holy Spirit was having none of this “stay in a room and be safe” nonsense.

No, the whole point of everything that had happened in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus was leading to this day. The Incarnation of God in one man was the precursor to the indwelling of the Spirit of God in every person willing to let the doors be blown open and the darkness pushed away.

Pentecost is our Incarnation moment. The Spirit will no longer visit and then go away again. She is here to stay. God is making a home with us. Here. Now. In this life. In this place.

Why? Is it as a reward for good behavior? A sign of special favor?

No. The Holy Spirit has come to make the glory of God known in this world—through us. We are the carriers of that glorious light now.

If that doesn’t leave you feeling a little overwhelmed, you’re not paying attention. A former colleague once said that if we really understood what’s happening on Pentecost, we wouldn’t show up in red shirts or shoes, we would all show up wearing crash helmets!

The Holy Spirit is not a tame little bird that perches on our shoulder and makes us feel better. She is the wind who blasts down the barriers we try to set up. She is the fire that lights us up and gets us moving. She is the dynamic power of God’s love in action.

In a few minutes we are going to renew our baptismal covenant. As always, I urge you to take that insert home, put it beside your bed or next to your coffee maker or tape it to the bathroom mirror, and read it regularly. In the morning, pray that God open your eyes to the ways in which you can fulfill them all through the day. In the evening, review those promises and ask yourself, “How did God invite me to make God’s love and justice known today?”

Consider it the job description of a disciple, walking the way of Jesus, glorifying God.

But be prepared, because that Holy Spirit has been known to blow the doors off and set the world on fire.

Amen.