Pentecost Sunday

1st Reading
  Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14
  Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
2nd Reading
  Romans 8:22-27 or Acts 2:1-21
Gospel
  John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15

Today is Pentecost Sunday; hopefully that doesn't come as a surprise to anybody. I know it is also Memorial Day, so that might have superseded Pentecost in some churches. In our church this morning, neither Pentecost nor Memorial Day was celebrated, although both were mentioned, and I suspect that is probably typical in Evangelic/Nazarene circles. But the fact that we don't celebrate "Memorial Day" is a shame. And by this I mean remembering our Christian heroes and saints who have gone before us. Testimony time has gone to the wayside and there is a definite lack of knowledge when it comes to church history. Remembering, or memorializing, is important not just for a country seeking to promote patriotism, but for a church hoping to keeps its story alive. It is also a shame that we don't celebrate Pentecost much. Pentecost can be a time when we reflect, celebrate and seek to understand just what the Church is--as a local entity, a denomination and as the Body of Christ across the world and throughout history from its beginning in the first century until now. I think both of these topics are underrepresented in our sermons and bible studies, but especially the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

As I was reading the story of Pentecost today, I was thinking, "Well, where was the Spirit before Pentecost; was he just hanging out in heaven waiting to come?" This is a silly question, but it may be one that people have as the read the story also. We need to proclaim and seek to understand the whole Trinity- Father, Son and Spirit to actually even be considered "Christian." We confess and worship the Triune God and when we shunt one person of the Trinity to the side, we are actually worshiping a false God. I think we can understand the point: if God is three-in-one, then we should seek to worship and understand the whole Trinity.

But I am still thinking the Holy Spirit is the least understand and spoken about in the Church. So let me just put some thoughts down here and encourage you to find some resources to explore the topic more. First, the Holy Spirit is co-eternal and equally God along with the Father and the Son. As the Nicene Creed says:

...I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

Second, because the Holy Spirit is God, he is active in God's activities. The Spirit was active in creation as the "Ruach" over the deep. Ruach means many things in the Old Testament such as the Spirit of God, wind, breath, and divine power. In Gen 6:17, humanity is said to have the breath (Ruach) of life in him. The Spirit was present at the giving of the Law: written by the finger of God, which Wiley says is interchangeable with "the Spirit of God (pg. 307; compare Matt. 12:28 and Luke 11:20). The Spirit was also active in and with the Prophets, a great example of which is our reading from Ezekiel 37. Ruach is used 9 times in these 14 verses, however the NASB only uses Spirit twice. Ezekiel prophesies to the dry bones and through the breath of the Lord, they are filled with new life again. The Lord tells Ezekiel what this vision means: the bones are the people of Israel, so dead in sin that their only hope is fresh breath of air from the Spirit of Life.

What about the New Testament; was the Spirit active before Pentecost? From the very beginning, the Spirit is active in Jesus' life. He was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit descends on Jesus at his baptism as a dove. The Spirit leads him out to be tempted and tried in the desert at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. And of course there is no way you could read the Gospel of John without catching how important the Spirit was to Jesus' teaching and the promise Jesus gave that his Spirit would come to those who follow him.

This leads us to Pentecost. Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem the promised Helper would come. The fulfillment of which came when the Holy Spirit descended in a powerful and new way at Pentecost. Wiley talks about the necessity of the "progressively unfolding revelation" of the Son and the Spirit (303). The Spirit was progressively revealed as humanity and God's people were able to comprehend and finally after Jesus' incarnation, death and resurrection could the full person and work of the Spirit be revealed. Wiley writes, "We must therefore regard Pentecost as the inauguration day of the Holy Spirit, at which time He came in His own proper Person as the inner Advocate of the Church--the Paraclete or Comforter" (304). Certainly, this was a new experience for the Apostles and they are both compelled and filled with the power to perform miracles and witness to Jesus Christ.

So, this was basically a quick overview of the person and actions of the Holy Spirit. There is much more we could discuss in terms of his relationship in the Trinity or his role in our lives today to convict and guide us, but space does not permit us to do so. Let me end by saying that these matters are not trivial. We want to worship the whole Triune God. We should not downplay the work of the Spirit in our lives. Thanks be to God that we have the Comforter, the Helper, to give us God's presence each day. May we live into this reality.

Grace and Peace.

Resources:
Wiley, H. Orton, Christian Theology vol. II, pages 303-333.
Dunn, J.D.G., New Bible Dictionary 2nd edition, "Spirit, Holy Spirit", pages 1136-1141.