A reflection for Pentecost May 31st
It’s the evening of the first Easter Sunday and the Master appears to the apostles. He gives them an appetiser of Pentecost, then sends them out to carry on the unending mission.
Now a couple of weeks ago, I pointed out that the intimacy and relationship that Jesus has with his Father, is the same intimacy and relationship that we are called to have with Jesus and with each other. Today, the same principle applies, only we take the plan one step further. Listen carefully
21 Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22
So … just as the Father sent Jesus on a mission to bring healing, wholeness and reconciliation to the world, so to Jesus sends us on that very same mission of healing, wholeness and reconciliation.
Uh huh
Just as the Father sent Jesus on a mission to bring healing, wholeness and reconciliation, so to Jesus sends us on that very same mission of healing, wholeness and reconciliation.
Now this is a marvellous adventure that we are called to embark on. It is thrilling and exciting, but it is also perilous and we need a lot of help. The help is given to us by the same Holy Spirit … the breath of God. Where do we tap into this spirit?
There are all the traditional places - the sacraments.
a) Through Baptism The Holy Spirit washes away sin and makes us children of God and heirs of Heaven.
b) Through Confirmation, He makes us temples of God, warriors and defenders of the Faith.
And to this day the service of confirmation goes. Strengthen Lord your servant Mildred with your Holy Spirit…
Through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual nourishment by converting bread and wine into Jesus’ Body and Blood. In fact there is a part in the Eucharist, just after the Holy Holy Holy, part where the priest asks for the gift of the Holy Spirit to come down and change the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus. The flash church word for this part of the service is epiclesis and this morning the words are
“Lord you are holy indeed, the fountain of all holiness. Let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ”
At the ordination of a priest there is a part in the service where the bishop says to the candidate.
“Receive the office and work of a priest” and then continues with the very same words that Our Lord said to the apostles.
“Who so ever sins you forgive they are forgiven and who so ever sins you retain they are retained.”
Now these are just some of the places that we know with absolute certainty that the Holy Spirit is accessible and in top gear.
But we are also aware that much of the Holy Sprits work happens out side of these traditional channels of grace.
The church has never and should never, claim to have a complete monopoly of the Holy Spirit.
In John’s gospel Jesus is having a fireside chat with Nicodemus and explains
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Some of the more high profile movements where I think Holy Sprit has been at work outside the sacraments and active within our society are with things like
Our heightened sense of vocation to care for God’s creation. Calling out the absolute wrongness of domestic violence and the Me too movement.
But how do we know? How can we be sure this is the work of the Holy Spirit? It is by their fruits that we know if God’s Spirit is work.
And the fruits of the Spirit are
love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
So whenever you see a movement, a person, an action, or you hear a word bringing these things to life, then you can be very sure that the Holy Spirit is at work.
Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. On our mission, the same mission that Jesus went on, these things are our tools of trade and they are also the fruit that we called to nurture, to blossom and flourish, in the lives that we are privileged to touch.
And on this day of resurrection, just as He did on that very first day of resurrection, The Master breathes on us. He sends us out as He himself was sent out. With all its joy, with alls its scrapes, with all its disappointments, with all its delight, with all its adventure and with all its love,… this is His work, this is the Spirits work, this is our work yours and mine.