b/c we'll all arive

in heaven alive

TheHoly Gospel according to St. John the 14th chapter!

Today is Pentecost! That day when we celebrate the fire of the Holy Spirit descending upon the disciples and changing the history of the world. Given our history we ought to be careful when we preach about fire in this congregation...

Reservations aside, though, today is Pentecost!

The first reading we had, the story of the Holy Spirit descending upon those first apostles, makes perfect sense to have as a reading for Pentecost.

What is up with the Gospel, though?

There's hardly any exciting action. No Holy Spirit. No dove. No speaking in other languages.

Just Philip...

And Philip isn't even being all that emboldened by the Spirit, either...

I mean, can you believe him?!?!

Philip had been with Jesus. He got to share meals with Jesus, have his feet washed by Jesus. He was there for the healings, for the miracles!

Philip has been there for all of that, and more. Now, at this last, final gathering before the cross, Philip speaks up.

When Philip speaks up, it is hard to believe the words that fall from his lips: "Show us the Father and we will be satisfied."

Are you kidding, Phil???

It is a good thing Jesus is so patient.

My response would be to say something like, "hold up!"

I mean, c'mon Phil! You've gotten so much already. I am a part of a congregation full of faithful folks who would do anything for just one moment with Jesus while he lived. You've gotten that, and still you want more?!?!

You want to see God and then you will be satisfied?!?!

I am sorry, Phil. If Jesus isn't enough, I'm not sure even God would satisfy you...

Well, it a good thing that Jesus is patient enough to walk with Philip through his struggles of faith.

It is also a good thing that I wasn't there that night to put my foot in my mouth. Had I been there that tense evening to criticize Philip, I would have revealed myself for the hypocrite I can be...

Isn't that the way it always goes, folks?

All the blessings we're already surrounded with aren't enough, and so we find ourselves wanting more and more.

If we just had this, that or the other thing, then like Phil, we tell ourselves, THEN we would be satisfied...

Sadly it is the same way with our pair of shoes that it is with our journey following our Lord.

Just a little more, just this other thing, we say. THEN we will be satisfied.

The thing is, truthfully, Philip's innocent request is made on behalf of all of us.

Philip's request embarrasses us so, because we know had we been there that night, we'd be less likely to reprimand Philip as we would have asked the question long before Philip got around to it.

That's always the trouble with criticizing others. Those of us who cast envious glares at Phil because he still wanted more even though he got to spend time with Jesus, can all too easily and often find ourselves doing the exact same thing...

The fact is, we live in the era of the Holy Spirit.

We live in the epoch when the Holy Spirit has been poured into the world. The time, yes after Christ's earthly life, but the time when the Holy Spirit breaks from heaven into our present. A time when the Holy Spirit bursts from Christ's breast into our very selves.

Jesus says, do not worry. Jesus commands believe. Jesus promises that we will not be orphaned when he leaves, instead he will send us the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit to comfort us.

The Holy Spirit to make us preform greater miracles than Jesus ever did.

The Holy Spirit to tell us again and again, that not only do we belong to Christ, but that Christ will come again.

We already have all that, but like Phil we say, "Just show us Jesus, THEN we would be satisfied.

THEN.

The problem is, when we look at our request that way, if we dare to be that candid, it is hard not to be as skeptical with ourselves as we are with Phil.

The truth is, we already have so much, but we won't let it be enough.

The truth is, God burst from heaven to become a human. God died and burst from the grave to free us. Before Jesus, God in the flesh - God walking, breathing - before Jesus left, God did another thing:

God loosed God's very Spirit unto the world, into our lives.

The truth, though, is that in all too many moments, we hear ourselves voicing that same request of Phil, "just this one thing, then, THEN we would be satisfied...

Yeah right...

We know better.

After all, we live in the era of the Holy Spirit.

That very-same Holy Spirit that fell upon those apostles that fateful morn.

That same Holy Spirit that broadened God's mission from Israel, from twelve men,

to men & women,

to Israelites & folks like you and me, the unclean, the goiem,

to those who are free & slaves;

to all.

We live in a time when God's Spirit does just float around but burst from heaven into our world, into ourselves. That Spirit of God breaks into the entire world, empowering all to follow, all to believe, all to call upon God, ALL to get to be a part of the mission Jesus inaugurated!

We live in an era when God's mission goes past the one nation of Israel, into the wider world. God's Spirit goes to places like Burlington, Saunderson Heights, Trinity Evangelical, you, us.

That is what today is about!

Today is about Jesus' reminder to Philip, we've already got more God than we deserve, than we can handle, frankly; and that this promise changes everything.

Pentecost is about the fact that we live in a time when we are already saturated with God's presence and we don't need to ask for more; so much as we need to simply claim all that we already have!

That is what Pentecost is about.

Today, Pentecost isn't looking longingly back on what happened, but being told by God that the Holy Spirit is still being poured upon the world, upon us...

Pentecost is not a one-and-done kind of event. Pentecost is the fact that God has done something remarkable, something that changed history. Pentecost is about the promise that we live in the era of the Spirit.

As we noted earlier today, we would be taking a special offering to kick-off our summer advertising campaign.

Those of you who love to read your annual minutes; to help you fall asleep, of course; may point out: we have a line item in the budget for such expenses.

This is true.

We're having this special offering, not because we exactly need the money, but to invite all of us into the Spirit's continued work here, today.

That fateful morning the Holy Spirit descended upon those gathered, and suddenly they were speaking in other languages.

Suddenly they were speaking about what God was doing in ways that people outside their gathering could understand.

That is a part of what our advertising campaign will do.

It will help us tell others who are not here about what God is still doing.

Speaking in tongues, finally is telling others in a way they can understand how the Holy Spirit is working, working with us at Trinity to send us to new people, places, opportunities.

That is why we're kicking off our summer advertising campaign; to continue the Pentecost movement of telling others.

The reason, though, we're inviting everyone to participate in this campaign is because the Holy Spirit doesn't merely go to outsiders; the Holy Spirit also uses the folks gathered, uses you, uses us, to tell those who long to hear God's promises.

We are inviting everyone to participate in this campaign because the Holy Spirit already includes everyone, includes you; has already been including us all.

Exciting things are happening at Trinity, and the Holy Spirit is upon this place.

The reason we're inviting everyone, you all into this special offering is to include each and every one of us in continuing to tell the story, telling God's story.

As we live in the era of the Holy Spirit, the epoch when God's mission is opened to all; I have to warn you, it won't end with putting that fiver you've got in your wallet in the offering plate.

Sorry.

The Holy Spirit is going to make trouble for us all. It will make apostles into us all, yes even a bunch of Lutherans, those so lovingly called, "the frozen-chosen." Yes, the Holy Spirit will be upon us when a coworker or friend asks, "What is Trinity like."

The Holy Spirit, God's very Spirit, will be upon us when you notice that visitor sitting by themselves wondering when to stand or sit, wondering if someone will say hello.

The Holy Spirit will send us into those conversations, to those people, to suddenly find ourselves, like those folks gathered that morn when the wind violently blew, to find ourselves speaking about God in ways others can understand.

 

The Holy Spirit IS and WILL be upon you, upon us, upon Trinity Evangelical.

THAT is what today is about, and that is why we're inviting you to participate in this special offering.

Pentecost is not a one and done kind of thing, Pentecost isn't simply about remembering what happened, Pentecost isn't a nice memory.

No, Pentecost is the promise that the Holy Spirit is poured out unto all nations, upon male & female, slaves & free, upon us, upon this place, upon our neighborhood.

 

Pentecost is about Jesus' promise that although he leaves, his mission goes on, although he leaves now God is with us as the Holy Spirit comes into this place, our time.

Pentecost is about the promise that what God gives us is enough, more than enough.

Pentecost is about the promise of God's continuing presence resting so powerfully upon our heads, that like those gathered there that morning, we find ourselves telling others, telling the world about God in new ways, ways those who are outside can understand.

That is what Pentecost is about, fellow disciples.

Pentecost is not about the past, it is about the present.

Pentecost is not about someplace far away, it is about this place.

Pentecost is not about all that other stuff we wish we had, it is about all that we already have!

Pentecost is not about other people, it is about you, it is about us.

Finally, fellow faithful gathered, Pentecost is about God's promise that like those gathered that morn when the Holy Spirit blew in like a gale and changed history, so the Holy Spirit continues to blow, continues today, continues here.

Amen.