Breathing Peace and Joy
This sermon can be listened to here
Gate Pa – Year A Pentecost Sunday,
2020
Readings:
Psalm Psalm: 104:24-34, 35b
First Reading Acts 2:1-21
Second Reading 1 Cor 12:3-13
Gospel John 20:19-23
What I want to say:
The story of the giving of the Spirit is different in John from Acts. In this time of relaxing pandemic, what does the story of the gifting of the Spirit in John offer us? As Jesus breathes on his terrified disciples offering them peace and a mission, how do we experience The Spirit breathed over and into us? When have been the moments of peace and rejoicing?
What I want to happen:
What do we trust the Spirit
to do? Do we recognise the extraordinary acts of the
spirit in our lives, in our world
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
Happy Pentecost
A different Pentecost this year. Not in church. No flames on the walls and the pew ends. No sound of wind playing as we enter church. Just at home waiting, watching on a screen. A very different Pentecost.
Pentecost marks the end of Easter. It is often described as the birthday of the church, when we were first emboldened to go out from behind locked doors and begin living and preaching God’s compassion and justice, God’s love for all people; as seen in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. The coming of the Spirit is a dramatic and important event in our life as followers of the Way of Christ.
Normally on Pentecost we focus on the account found in Acts. And why not. It is dramatic, with sounds life wind (but not wind) and something happening that “Luke” can only describe as like flames (but not flames). And 12 or 120 people burst out speaking languages they had not idea existed. They emerge from their place or places of waiting and a large crowd is drawn by the cacophony of people declaring in so many languages; some to scorn and some to listen. After Peter preaches, reaching back to Joel, a new community full of a multitude of cultures, customs, languages, is formed. There are men and women, rich and poor and in between, slave and free. All that should divide them is broken down. The hierarchies of deserving an undeserving, most important to least important, crumble. God’s new inclusive way is lived out in spectacular fashion.
It's inspiring, and a little daunting all in one.
2. John
The Acts account is not the only version of how the Spirit is given. There are other traditions recorded. Paul seems to think the Spirit came at Easter with risen Jesus.
John too offers a very different and less dramatic tradition. And it is this one I want to look at today. In this time of relaxing the rules around how we live in this worldwide pandemic, John’s story of the gifting of the Spirit has much to offer us. But as we read it, we need to remember that it is different from Acts. There is a different theological understanding behind it. We need to stop placing the Acts account over the top of it and listen to the important understanding of the work of the Spirit offered in this gospel.
This tradition of the coming of the Spirit is situated on Easter Sunday. Jesus has ascended and returned. He enters a locked room to be with his downcast, grief stricken, terrified disciples. Yes, we are back there, where we were seven weeks ago.
As I read this account four words stand out for me: peace, breathe, forgiveness, and rejoice.
3. Peace
The first gift Jesus gave as he entered this room was what they most needed at that moment. Peace. Their world had ended with his death. They were stupefied and confused by Mary and the other women’s assertion that Jesus was no longer dead. That made no sense. They were lost in grief, fear, confusion.
Before anything else could happen, they needed stop the whirring confusion and be at peace.
When they were at peace, then they were able to receive what else Jesus offered them. But first, peace. And so twice he gifts peace.
I suspect that over the last 10 weeks we too needed that peace.
What gift of peace have you needed and received over the last 10 weeks? How has Risen Christ met you, offering peace, or hope, or whatever you needed? Spend a moment to reflect on that, and the gift of that.
4. Breath
This slightly out of the order they appear in the story, but I am sure we can cope with this.
The giving of the Spirit in John is a very gentle. Jesus gathers his disciples and breathes on them – something we would not tolerate at the moment.
The Hebrew word for Spirit is Ruach which means spirit, breath, wind. It is the life force that sustains all living things, human beings included.
In this moment Jesus breathes the life of God into each of his friends. That life and love that he spoke of so often, that he shared with God the father. This is not an external force as depicted in Acts, but internal and life sustaining Spirit.
As we listen to that story I wonder when have we experienced this life sustaining Ruach or Spirit of God being breathed into us over the last 10 weeks? Spend a moment to reflect on that, and the gift of that.
5. Forgiveness
This is probably the word we would want to shy away from. Or at least the sin bit.
Sin in John’s gospel is Jesus is not appointing the church as his moral watchdog.
Matt Skinner, writing for Working Preacher, says that, “(I)n John's Gospel, Jesus talks about sin as unbelief, the unwillingness or incapacity to grasp the truth of God manifested in him. To have sin abide, therefore, is to remain estranged from God. The consequence of such a condition is ongoing resistance. Sin in John is not about moral failings; primarily it is an inability or refusal to recognize God's revelation when confronted by it, in Jesus. (Note what Jesus, says, concerning the world, in John 15:22: "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin," see also John 9:39-41).
Consequently, the resurrected Christ tells his followers (all his followers) that, through the Spirit that enables them to bear witness, they can set people free ("set free" or "release" is a better translation than "forgive" in John 20:23) from that state of affairs. They can be a part of seeing others come to believe in Jesus and what he discloses.” [i]
The deep sin in creation is that we have forgotten that we were created by God of justice, compassion, generosity and love. The deep sin in humanity is that we have forgotten that we are made in the image of this God, and the result is that we worship false gods of greed, fame, power, etc… And the consequences of this sin have been and are all around us.
For the gospel writers Jesus was the means by which God reminded us of who God is, and who we are. In being reminded, shown the love of God, we are set free to live in that love. To live in that love is eternal life. To choose to not live in that love is sin. The Spirit is always breathed into us so that we might live God’s love for all, breaking the barriers between people and the barriers between people and God. Big stuff. Heavy stuff.
But also practical. As we have lived over the last 10 weeks, we have all had moments when others have troubled, antagonised, annoyed us. Forgiveness is when we let that go and live compassion and generosity instead.
I wonder when have been the times others have forgiven you, or your have forgiven others. Or who might you need to forgive, or ask forgiveness from for what has happened over the last 10 weeks. Spend a moment to reflect on that, and the gift of that.
6. Rejoice
Lastly, the disciples responded to Jesus by rejoicing. Sometimes we forget to rejoice. Especially when things are as different as they have been.
But I wonder, in light of all of the above, when have you rejoiced? What is it you have rejoiced in? What has brought you joy? What might you be invited to rejoice in as we look to the future? Spend a moment to reflect on that, and the gift of that.
7. Conclusion
One of commentator’s I use reminded us that in John’s gospel at least the Spirit is not something we should seek understand. We spend too much time doing that. Instead, The Spirit is to be trusted. And we need this trust now more than ever. The Spirit is breathed into each of us, and we are invited to place our trust in the presence of the Spirit at work.
I want to end by inviting you to take time today to use these four words, peace, breath, forgiveness, and rejoice; to notice the work of the Spirit in your life, and in the world around, and to use that to grow in trust that the Sprit of God is at work all through this time, bringing healing and hope to all people and creation. In particular bringing healing and hope to you.
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