Messages, Meditations, and Musings on the Life of Faith by Rev. Dr. Scott E. Olson, Interim Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Preston, MN

Sunday, June 8, 2014

"Free Spirit" - Sermon for Pentecost Sunday

Free Spirit
Pentecost Sunday – Narrative Lectionary 4
June 8, 2015
Grace, Mankato, MN
Acts 2.1-21

I don’t think that high school in the early 70s in Suburban Minneapolis was much different than today. Then, as now, young people were trying to find their place in life, figuring out who we were, where we were going in life. Though we would try on costumes—bell bottoms, tie dyes, and even Nehru jackets—like we tried on identities —jock, geek, nerd, preppie—we were by and large mainstream and, though we didn’t know it at the time, rather ordinary.

That is, except for people like Rachel. Rachel was kind of “out there,” although where “there” was we really didn’t know. She dressed funkily, but for her it wasn’t an attempt to stand out; it was just who she was. Rachel didn’t march to the beat of a different drummer; she was grooving to a whole different kind of music. We didn’t know what to make of her and, though she made us uneasy, we nonetheless had a grudging admiration for her. You see, although she was unpredictable she was also clearly comfortable with herself. Furthermore, Rachel’s presence showed us how wrapped up in ourselves we were and, though we probably couldn’t articulate it at the time, invited us to be our true selves (whatever those true selves were).

I think of Rachel when I think of the Holy Spirit. Today is Pentecost, the Sunday we celebrate the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ followers. For the Jews, Pentecost comes 50 days after Passover (hence the name). It is a harvest festival of thanksgiving as well as a celebration of the covenant God made with Moses and Israel on Sinai. It’s not the “birthday of the church” as is often stated, but a time to recall the powerful, gracious, life-giving presence of God. Pentecost doesn’t look backward as a birthday celebration does; it looks forward. So, Pentecost is not the beginning of the end, but rather the end of the beginning. Pentecost is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise of help to his followers in proclaiming the good news of God’s love.

Yet, that promise of the Holy Spirit given by Jesus was very short on details. Who could possibly have predicted what happened on that first Pentecost? A mighty rush of wind, tongues like fire lighting on the people, and people being able to speak and hear their own languages. In fact, just like Rachel, blowing in and through my high school years, or like a crazy aunt who shows up at all the family functions, the Holy Spirit blows in, with, and through us in unexpected ways. If nothing else today is a reminder to hold up our collective metaphorical fingers to ask where the Spirit is blowing in our place and, perhaps more importantly, through those we least expect it. Not to catch the latest fad our new church thing, but to discover where the Spirit might be taking us next.

In addition to showing up in unexpected people and places in unpredictable, uncontrollable ways, the Spirit empowers us to find our voices. I think this is the aspect of the Holy Spirit that scares us the most because many of us are more like Moses, who initially declined God’s invitation to lead his people, than like impetuous Peter. We don’t all have to be Peters to speak about what God is doing in, with, and through our lives. But, the Holy Spirit, like Rachel, simply invites us to be ourselves and to share ourselves with others. It’s not our job to convince people to follow Christ because that’s God’s job. Our job is to simply tell others what God has done.

So, the Holy Spirit works in unexpected ways and gives us voice, but we always remember that it’s for the sake of others. Like Rachel, whose very presence invited us to stop being so wrapped up in ourselves, the Holy Spirit gathers us together as a community of faith to live and work to serve others (our mission statement). However, we remember that we don’t have a mission; God has a mission. To accomplish that mission, God has us, a church. God’s mission is to love and bless the world, for us to be a loving and healing presence in it. The world doesn’t always get that about us, and even sneers at us, but that’s okay. Our calling is simply to love everyone and welcome everyone. No exceptions.

The Spirit has been blowing through Grace in some wild and crazy ways the last few years. We have gone to one service on Sunday morning using Convergence Worship. We host a community meal followed by a relaxed worship service on Wednesday nights have followed by education for all ages. We have called a new staff person as a minister for discipleship and faith formation (a radical move) and will be assessing our facility to see if it supports God’s mission and ministry here. We do all this so that we can give voice to God’s love to our community. Yes, when you think about it, it is wild and crazy. But that’s the Holy Spirit for you. Besides, I think Rachel would be smiling. Amen.

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