Finding Faith ... in Pentecost

EDITOR'S NOTE: In October 2017 I began a new venture as a synodically authorized minister at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. The ride over the past 2.5 years has been an amazing journey of learning, growing and a deepening of my theological mind. This sermon took place on May 9, 2018.

This will come as no surprise to you, but I really love Pentecost. … I love it because of the imagery of the Spirit rushing in to that room full of believers some 2,000 years ago and taking a fellowship of believers from all over the Middle East and opening their ears, hearts and minds to each other.

I love it because it’s the day that our church was born. …. Sure, before that there were gatherings of fellow believers, who would get together and discuss Christ’s teachings, but it was this visit by the Holy Spirit that coalesced these believers from all over the known lands and sent them forth into the world infused with the Spirit.

But what I love most about Pentecost is that it reminds us that God is ever present among us.

… That’s right, because our God is present in each of the members of the Holy Trinity, we are reminded that just as the Holy Spirit lives and breathes and acts among us today, so does God.

Now, most mainline Christians, including us Lutherans, don’t think much about Pentecost … or the Spirit for that matter. Once a year, we give the Spirit a nod on Pentecost, and maybe occasionally we’ll call on the Spirit in a prayer. … A seminary friend of mine, who has been in church leadership positions for the past 10 years, even shared with me that today will be the first time ever that she has preached on the Holy Spirit.

So it saddens me to think that this wonderful, third full member of our Holy Trinity is given such short shrift when it is so busy acting on our behalf.

After all, you hear it right from Jesus’ lips in today’s sermon. In this passage in the Gospel of John, Jesus is trying to help the disciples understand that he is about to leave them. But he knows that they are filled with sorrow and he tries to console them that his departure is necessary for both him and the world.

Because if he doesn’t give of himself … sacrifice himself out of love for us … there will be no conquering of sin here in this world.

And so he tells the disciples that it is not only necessary for him to leave, but that ultimately his departure makes way for the Spirit to come. “Nevertheless,” Jesus tells them, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

In other words, Jesus is saying that although his time as our spiritual leader -- our advocate -- was coming to a close, we weren’t going to be left without God’s presence here on earth. … No, in fact, Jesus is going to advocate to his Father on our behalf so that he will send the Spirit to be our new “Advocate” -- or guide or spiritual leader -- here forward.

Now that Jesus is leaving to take his place alongside his Father’s throne in his Holy Kingdom, it is the Spirit that will help guide us and show up in those moments when we are most seeking God’s intervention.

Again, in Jesus’ own words: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

If you think about it, we’re not much different than the disciples. … Just as the disciples had a difficult time understanding why it was that Jesus, their Messiah, had to go, we still struggle with why it was that Christ had to die on the cross. … And, just like the disciples, we we mourn the loss of our savior, but in that mourning, we forget that Christ didn’t leave us alone. ... His departure is actually what ushered in the age of the Holy Spirit, an age in which we still live today, but we often don’t recognize it.

So, what does that age look like? … What does it mean to be living in the age of Spirit? … Wouldn’t it be nice if it were as easy to spot as the day when the Spirit arrived in the Upper Room with the believers after Jesus’ death?

Wouldn’t it be easy if we were able to hear it rush in like the wind and take up the form of fire licks above everyone’s head. … To be able to turn to your fellow believer from another region -- another country even -- and be able to understand what they are saying to you, even though it’s in another language. … Yes, that certainly would make spotting the Spirit a little easier, wouldn’t it?

But I contend that it’s still here in plain sight for us to see, if only we would open our hearts to it.

I shared earlier with you that on Saturday I ran the 10K during the Fargo Marathon festivities. And it was my first experience in such a big race. I had run a few 5Ks before that, but this was the first time for me to experience such a scene. ... And if you haven’t seen it for yourself on race morning, I’d highly encourage you to go one year, even if it’s as a spectator.

Many of you have been to the dome, and you’ve seen how big it is. Now imagine, the entire floor of the dome swarmed in a sea of color as thousands of runners are getting ready to take off for their race. The place starts filling in about 6 and then by 6:45 the floor of the stadium is packed. Runners from all over the country, even from around the world are milling around together.

And the conversations sprout up out of nowhere. One minute, you’re talking to a buddy who is a pretty avid runner, but he’s let you latch onto him for the morning to help you learn the ropes. … And then a minute later he’s introducing you to another runner, a friend of his that runs ultramarathons which can be as long as 50 miles or more. And that new friend treats you, a first-time novice, as if you were just another member of the running fraternity.

And not far away some of the elite runners are hanging out, amidst other weekend warriors such as myself. … Runners that will finish the entire marathon in just about two hours, talking shop with runners who will take the same amount of time to finish just 6.3 miles.

… And then you notice that there’s this buzz that just hangs over the entire crowd. I can’t describe it as licks of fire above everyone’s heads, but in those 60 to 90 minutes leading up to race time, there’s a palpable sense of something special happening. … There’s no divisions among those there ... runners, volunteers, spectators, organizers. … It’s a crowd of one. … And then after a few perfunctory speeches by notable officials, the race director introduces a pastor who gets the festivities rolling with an invocation.

And as the hush falls over the crowd, you can feel the Spirit’s palpable presence there among everyone. Christian, non-Christian, believers of other faiths … the Spirit is there weaving its web through them all and bringing them closer together ... closer to God. … It’s truly a special moment.

But even if you haven’t been to the Fargo Marathon on race day, I bet you’ve seen the Spirit at work. Even though we often explain away the Spirit’s presence as something more tangible, more earthly, because it’s just too challenging for us to wrap our minds around it, doesn’t mean the Spirit isn’t at work.

I’ve seen the Spirit … and so have you. … I’ve seen it here as a matter fact.

This past Lent you all trusted enough to take a special faith journey each Wednesday night, and agreed to open up your hearts, minds and ears so that you could hear each other. … Much like the early Christians who witnessed the coming of the Spirit, I am certain that there were several nights when we witnessed the Spirit rush into this very Sanctuary during Lent.

You all may not have had licks of flame dancing above your heads, but I certainly saw young and old, lifetime attendees and recent additions, people from all various walks of life hearing each other, talking in one voice and understanding each other wholeheartedly on a spiritual level.

That, I am certain, was nothing less than the Holy Spirit at work.

I am also certain that I see the Holy Spirit at work each and every day, and I believe that you all do too. In fact, I believe that even our non-Christian friends even see the Spirit at work, but they disguise this fact with clever euphemisms. … Who in here hasn’t heard others talk about the “little voice” in their head, or a gut instinct, or their intuition. … If you think about it, each of us has regularly felt some inexplicable, ethereal force guide us into some kind of action … or even worse yet, we’ve felt that pang of guilt when we knew we heard that “little voice” speaking to us and we ignored it.

All of it, all of those inexplicable signs that sometimes nudge us into action or down a different course … all of those times that that quiet voice has given us a clue as to how we are supposed to act ... or not act.

Those times we take a turn in our journey for no other reason than we felt compelled to. … Those aren’t coincidences, or fate or karma, or any other word we try to use to explain them away. … No, I am certain that those times are undeniable proof of our living Holy Spirit, who is just as active today as she was 2,000 years ago amidst the early believers.

So, just what are we to make of Pentecost beyond that it makes for a great story? … Well, if you take nothing else away from today, know this: That when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died on that cross to take away the sins of our world, we were not left alone here in this world.

Most certainly not. … In fact, God ensured that we would again have an “advocate.” … One to walk by our side and nudge a little here and there when we need it. And to help fill rooms such as this one with love and understanding. And to help teach us all how it is to walk in Jesus’ footsteps.

And that is why I love Pentecost so much. … Because it reminds us each and every day that our God is not a god of the past, nor of the future. … No, our God is a god of the present and he is most certainly present in each of our daily lives, guiding us, advocating for us and yes … loving us.

And that is the Good News for this Sunday, one known as Pentecost. ... Amen.