Year C Pentecost Acts 16:16-34 John 17:20-26

When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place.

Why, we may well ask, are the disciples all together like this? Our first thought might be to flashback on the last time we heard they had gathered thus, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. But then we remember that was before they saw the risen Lord. Jesus appeared to them back then, and now their fears have been banished. Maybe they are gather this time waiting for Him to appear in their midst? No! They saw Him ascend to his father just ten days earlier. Were they preparing to preach the Gospel? Not yet! Their ministries have not begun.

They are actually gathered together to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which occurs 49 days after Passover, on the fiftieth day if you include the day of Passover itself. Pentecost means fiftieth day. For Jewish people it commemorates the day on which they received the Ten Commandments, the day when God swore eternal devotion to them and they pledged everlasting loyalty to God. The disciples have gathered to share this holy day. Little do they realize that Jesus’ promise to them “If you love me, keep my commands … and the Father will give you another advocate … the Spirit of truth,” is about to be fulfilled.

And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire place where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.

Paintings and icons of this event usually show the disciples sitting passively with little flames dancing above their heads. But we know the immense strength of hurricane force winds and the heat and power of raging fire. As the disciples remember the giving of the Law and ponder following Jesus new commandments, they catch fire, they are clothed forever with the “intolerable shirt of flame that human power cannot remove”, they are set alight with a blaze of glory that cannot be extinguished. The receiving of the Holy Spirit comes upon them and it is not a benign experience.

Overcome, the disciples rush into the street, speaking words they do not understand in languages they do not know. And the neighboring Jews see these men, ranting in foreign tongues, and because their behavior is so wild and erratic, think they must be drunk. Peter has to shout out for all to hear, that the men are not drunk, but that prophesy is being fulfilled.

In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.

What does Pentecost mean for us? We know many types of fire in our lives; anger, fear, hatred, prejudice, all of them burn, but all of them also destroy. We have recently seen this horrible fire play out in mass shootings across our country in the death of innocents. But this is not the fire of God.

What then is it like, this fire that will burn us like the burning bush, leaving us in this world to do God’s work, but keeping us eternally engulfed in flame? The fire of the Holy Spirit, like the smelter’s fire, will burn away that which is impure and leave only that which is acceptable to God. It will not destroy us, but it will remake us, and the process is not free of pain.

Jesus said, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for peace is shalôm. Shalôm is used in many different ways in the Old Testament. It can mean general prosperity or well-being, safety or success, harmony among friends and family members, and harmony among nations. When used as a greeting or as a blessing (as it was and is used by Hebrew speakers) it conveys the notion that one is wishing all good things to the person addressed.

These are some of the many ways we think of peace, but Shalôm literally means "to be complete or whole". To live in the Shalôm of God means we have drawn away from the world and formed a right relationship with our Lord. To pull away from the world, to give up what is familiar, to do what Jesus wants us to do, none of this is easy. To embrace the Peace of God is to become complete, whole, but at the same time doing what our Lord commands us to do will change our lives. To let go of the familiar, to embrace what God sends, will dramatically reshape us. This is why being holy people can be painful.

Jesus said, If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

We are commanded to love each other as Jesus loves us, and we are filled with the raging fire of the Holy Spirit, which gives us the strength and the power to love as Jesus has commanded us to do. This does not mean we must make grand gestures, give away all our possessions to the poor, preach on street corners. Jesus does not ever ask of us anything we cannot do, and thinking He wants more from us than we can give, can keep us from giving what we can.

The smallest works done with great love, satisfy and please our Lord. If we remember whenever we speak to another person, to be loving – everything in our life will change. This sounds so simple, but try being loving with someone who is angry, irate, and irritating, and you’ll find it isn’t easy at all. Yet, it is what Jesus wants and expects from us.

We are called to live in the Peace of God, to be complete, to be holy, and we can do this. Next time you are about to become impatient or lose your temper with someone, even if they are a stranger, look at them and see Jesus. Think how you would treat Him, and act accordingly. You have the power to do this, because at your baptism, along with a sprinkle of water, you received the Holy Spirit, the fiery, burning gift of God’s Love.

Jesus asked the Father, and He gave us another Advocate, to be with us forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows him. We know him, because he abides with us, and He is in us.

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus Christ – before You ascended into Heaven, You promised to send the Holy Spirit, to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples. Grant us this same Holy Spirit, that He may perfect in our souls, the work of Your grace and Your love. We ask for Your love and mercy’s sake. Amen