Pentecost Sunday Fr. Forrest Burgett
Trinity Anglican Church Given: 05/23/10
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. . . . Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (St. John xiv. 27.)
Our text today talks of peace, but that is not the image we build from the dramatic events described in our Epistle. Today is one of three days honored with two sets of Propers in the Book of Common Prayer. The other two are Easter and Christmas. The significance of all three should not be overlooked. We were given Christ on Christmas through the Incarnation. We were given proof of Christ’s relationship to God on Easter through the Resurrection. Today we celebrate the birth of the Church through the coming of the Holy Spirit. These three, Father, Son & Holy Spirit complete the godhead and set the stage for us to celebrate the Trinity next Sunday.
In the Book of Common Prayer, the Collect, Epistle and Gospel for the first service of the day are immediately behind the Propers we used in this service. They all honor the gift of the Holy Spirit but each emphasizes a different aspect of our teachings and worship. The first collect read today asks for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It asks that we be enlightened and strengthened for service to God. The second collect asks that all faithful people receive the light of the Holy Spirit. It asks that the Holy Spirit give us a right judgment in all things. It asks that we may evermore to rejoice in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
The Epistle for the first service emphasizes the diversity of gifts that we receive and acknowledges we all receive them from the same spirit and the same Lord. It talks of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning tongues and interpretation of tongues. It describes how all those gifts are needed to complete the Body of Christ. This Epistle was written by Paul to the Corinthians as he encouraged them to work together in spite of their different gifts, attitudes and dispositions.
Sometimes this Epistle is used today to justify differences rather than encourage unity. It clearly says we don’t need to justify differences. We simply need to accept the contributions of those honestly seeking the Will of God. Unfortunately, in some denominations, discrimination between those who do and those who don’t speak in tongues is significant. The implication is, “those who do not speak in tongues have not received the Holy Ghost or at least have not received a full dose of his gifts.” We were not created to be mirror images of each other. The objective is to bring all of us, warts and all, into one church where we can all be contributors to the Body of Christ.
The Epistle for this service describes the actual events on the day of Pentecost. It talks of God’s efforts to insure complete understanding and encourage unity. The speaking in tongues in this case was entirely different. In fact, it worked quite the opposite. It described disciples speaking in tongues that were unknown to them. The disciples may not have been familiar with languages they spoke; but those listening found the message both comforting and miraculous. The use of tongues in this case was to make clear the very word of God by allowing people to hear it in their own language. No interpreters were required in this case. There were only believers hearing the wonderful works of God in their own tongue.
Both of these Epistles were directed to bring the peace of God into our midst. However, most of us are more easily impressed with the unknown and unusual. We concentrate on the speaking in tongues and the image of cloven tongues of fire sitting upon each of the disciples. This is a little like my tendency to remember the story of a commercial without remembering the product being advertised. The product being advertised in these Epistles is peace – the peace of God. It probably required such a dramatic event to make such a traumatic change to all the disciples. It changed them from a group of hidden refugees to outspoken, unwavering evangelists spreading the Word of God like their lives depended on it. In fact, 10 of the 12 apostles were martyred for their efforts. They worked with zeal in the full knowledge that their efforts would probably be rewarded with a premature and violent end to their earthly lives. That doesn’t sound like peace as we know it. The peace that comes from wisdom, knowledge and faith is a spiritual peace. It is not of this world. It is God’s peace and it is a treasure in this life as well as the next.
The Gospel for the first service is quite different from the one we heard today. It asks that we seek the influence and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. “Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” It points out that God knows how to give good gifts unto his children if they will only ask. He may not give exactly what was requested, but the gift will not be disappointing if we are honestly seeking the Will of God. If we ask for the influence of the Holy Spirit, we will recognize what we should be asking of the Father. And we will see the good in the gifts we receive.
The Gospel for this service shows Jesus’ attempts to help the disciples understand why He must leave and send the Comforter to guide them. You cannot blame the disciples for not understanding. They left their homes to follow Jesus only to have him crucified. Their depression was short-lived when He rose from the dead and walked among them once more. Now he was leaving again and said clearly he would not return until the final judgment. They were all in denial just as we would be in the same circumstances. They were not interested in a substitute. They were finally realizing just how real Jesus and His teachings were. When you have perfection in your midst, no change is a welcome – no matter how necessary.
In spite of all the dramatic events of Pentecost, the real message is peace. Envisioning cloven tongues of fire resting on each disciple does not immediately bring peace to mind. Nonetheless, that is the message of the day. The collects for today ask that we be enlightened and strengthened for service to God. They ask the light of the Holy Spirit and to have a right judgment in all things. They ask that we rejoice in the comfort of the Holy Spirit through the merits of Christ Jesus. We are told that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Truth and that he may abide with us for ever. Those are the things of which peace is made.
What is more peaceful than knowing you are accepted by God even if you differ from your neighbor? God does not love one of us better than another.
What is more peaceful than knowing God will provide good gifts for all your requests? We don’t really doubt the goodness of God’s gifts. We often don’t understand why they are better than what we requested.
What is more peaceful than knowing that frightened outcasts were made fearless spokesmen for God by the strength of the Holy Spirit? The peace they received from the Holy Spirit gave them the surety to continue their work, confident in their faith.
What is more peaceful than having a right judgment and rejoicing in the comfort of the Holy Spirit? Imagine how comforting it would be to know your decisions were right and aligned with the truth of God’s order.
What is more peaceful than being enlightened and strengthened for service to God? Have you ever been more confident and strong in your faith than when you had a clear vision of God’s intent for you?
What is more peaceful than knowing Truth and accepting it as your guide through life? We all love things that do not change because we can depend on them. Truth is a creation of God and does not change. Our challenge is to know it completely.
These describe the peace Jesus left us. It is the peace He exhibited throughout all his trials. It is not just known. It is felt, believed and loved. It truly is the peace of God that passeth all understanding. In our benediction, we ask for the peace to keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.” It does not just request knowledge. It does not just request love. Real peace comes from wisdom, knowledge, love and faith. This is the prayer that should be on all our lips as we prepare to leave God’s house and face the world. It describes the comfort we will hold in our hearts throughout the week. Today, we celebrate the birthday of the church and the presence of God in the form of the Holy Spirit. It is with that grace we seek the peace Jesus promised.
Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. (1 Chronicles xxix. 11.)