Day of Pentecost
I have always thought this was one of the most miraculous events in
the New Testament. Let's listen to it again.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. There were devout Jews
from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at
this sound, the crowd of the Apostles gathered and
was bewildered because each one heard them speaking in the native
language of each.
Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and
Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts
of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and
proselytes, Cretans and Arabs, in our own languages, we hear them
speaking about God's deeds of power.
The thing with all of the miracles before this is that when they
happened, for the most part, people just agreed that it happened.
By who's power, why it happened, whether it was the right thing to do or
not, that was all debated.
The /what/ was plain for the eye to see. The lame man stood up,
picked up his mat, and walked away. Simon-Peter's mother-in-law was
lifted from her fever, the blind man saw, thousands and thousands we're fed.
On the Day of Pentecost things similairbut there was a difference. Let's
remember for a moment that Luke is writing the book of Acts. And he
began his Gospel like this.
Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the
events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to
us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the
word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the
very first, to write an orderly account for you,
So, let's imagine - the moment when the disciples came out seemingly
filled with new wine, shouting about the deeds and the power of God.
Did they step out into the street with a prayer book in hand,
reciting the creed and a prescribed list of God's deeds and power? Of
course, they didn't. No, then one would have mistaken them for being
drunk but rather for having fallen into some strange trance.
No, all of the stories of the deeds and power of God would have been
hurled in every direction. As one Apostle paused to take a breath
another would surely have filled in the gaps.
As Luke has documented, there were at least 16 different people groups
there, so at least 16 different languages were spoken. We know that some
languages have words that others don't, so the stories of the deeds and
power of God will have taken on a slightly different shape for each
person hearing them.
It seems silly, but even if there had been only 12 apostles and 16
people who spoke 16 different languages, there would have been 192
variations on the deeds and power of God on just that morning alone.
I'm sure that math doesn't make sense for some reason or another, but
that does not even account for what was heard and what was missed in the
cacophony the event. Because you can't possibly hear what 12 people are
saying at the same time and make sense of it.
This feels like one of the most miraculous events in the New Testament
because in its happening, it was different for each and every person there.
Not only because of the language difference and the fades and outs of
voices but because of life experiences and interests.
The doctor will have heard the healing stories through a different lens
than the cook who heard the story of the feeding of the 5000,
different from the fishers hearing about the massive catch of fish in
the morning who only caught the tail end of the stories of the debates
in the temple that held the attention of the young scholars in the crowd
for the whole time.
Each person hearing the parts of the story of the deeds and power of God
they needed to hear to be drawn into to life and love of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Each person hearing the part of the story they needed to hear to
realize that they were wonderfully made and eternally loved by God.
Each person hearing the part of the story they needed to hear to be
shaped by the Holy Spirit towards living a life that is Good for them
and their neighbour and fully pleasing to God.
Hundreds of stories being heard
each one being shaped by the Holy Spirit so that each person
there might fall in love with the one who loves them most.
—-
In his classic book The Sanctifier, Luiz M. Martinez, Archbishop of
Mexico, speaks of the Holy Spirit as one who does this shaping work with
a deep sense of beauty. He refers to the Holy Spirit as an Artist.
"How wonderful is the work of the Artist! Byefforts both ardent and
gentle he can enter into hard and shapeless materials with the light of
his soul.The instruments he uses, though often crude, can impart to
these materials exquisite proportions and shapes.
That is the way one may conceive of the sanctifying work of the Holy
Spirit, The Artist of Souls."
Let me say that again: That is the way one may conceive of the
sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, The Artist of Souls.
Now, it may spring to mind that an artist, as we imagine, like a
painter, has full control over their materials... Maybe there is some
collaboration between the painter or writer and the subject, the
musician and the music or the potter and the clay - but it is true
that if the Artist chooses not to create, the material stays unchanged.
This is not how God, the Holy Spirit, works. While the invitation may
always be open - that indwelling work of the Holy Spirit on the soul
only happens once the Holy Spirit has been invited in or as, as Martinez
puts it, has been "loved/ possessed" invited to do their work.
That said, the Holy Spirit, as invited into souls in our baptisms or
otherwise, is then fully at work on us as the Artist of our Soul.
And one of the moments that we see this at work on a glorious scale was
that first day of Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit acting as conductor of stories and languages and sounds
and experiences for the sake of the World.
Now, of course, not all of those who were there and heard this symphony
turned and believed in Jesus.And we don't know why, and it is not
out place to judge. Maybe it happened later, maybe it never happened,
maybe they shared the story later on and helped someone else to believe.
The Work of God, the Work of the Holy Spirit, is ineffable lest we
ever try to pin it down.
That ineffable work of God, however, is also evident.
Has it ever happened that you had a conversation with someone... and
then that person came back to andsaid
"it was really helpful when you said... "
and they thing they remember you saying you do not remember saying at
all... Orit was taken in a way that was not intended?
That is the artistry of the Spirit working through you as well as
on your soul. Taking the, some timesbeautiful, sometimes crude tools of
God's people on earth and using them to shape one another
towards towards the likeness of Christ.
Each time something like that happens it is a version of the symphony
that happened on pentecost. Where we live and speak in the best way we
can in that moment, and that is shaped by the Divine Artistry of the
Holy Spirit.
And somehow, it feels like this makes living a life guided by the Spirit
more... livable. More doable. It takes the pressure off, in a way.
We can have the confidence that when we live in a way, as best we can,
that reflects the Body of Christ, feed the poor, tend to the wounded,
stand up for the oppressed, live with grace, as best we can - the Spirit
takes those imperfect, maybe even crude materials and instruments and
shapes them into divine proportions.
And when our best isn't all that great, the Spirit can and will use that
too. Maybe it will take a little or a tremendous amount more work.
But nothing or no one is beyond saving and use by the Power of The Holy
Spirit.
For the sake of mixing even more metaphors and ideas, as was probably
the case on that swirling Pentecost morning, I'll leave you with this.
This idea of living and being moved by the Spirit, is captured a popular
spiritual that we've sung here before.Guide my feet while I run this
race, Guide my feet while I run this race, Holy Spirit, Guide my feet
while I run this race for I don't want to run this race in vain.
It is a song about Spiritto guiding us, to moving, shaping us.
Not only our feet but our thoughts, our words, our hands, our pens,
our brushes... anything, everything, all that we can ask for or imagine
and more!
So let us give that each one is being guided, moved, and shaped by the
Holy and Divine Artist of Souls.
By the Holy and Divine Artist of my soul and yours.
Amen
