The Gift of the Holy Spirit

A Sermon for the Day of Pentecost (Year A)
May 28, 2023

Text: Acts 2:1-21

Now, O Lord, take my lips, and speak through them. Take our minds, and think through them. Take our hearts, and set them on fire. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“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.”

These are the words of the prophet Joel, spoken by Peter on the first Day of Pentecost.

As Episcopalians, we often describe the Day of Pentecost as the birthday of the Church. Some of us celebrate each year by wearing red to our worship services. Many parishes have festive parties and decorate their parish halls and churches with red balloons and streamers. Some even have a birthday cake decorated with tongues of fire or doves representing the Holy Spirit.

I think all of these are wonderful ways to celebrate such an important day in the life of the Church. After all, the Day of Pentecost is the last day of the Easter season and one of the seven principal feasts of the Church year, ranking right up there with Christmas and Easter.

But, Pentecost is also a day for us to give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives—the Advocate, the Comforter—who continues to lead us and guide us in our journeys of faith and to give us the strength we need to persevere in our calling.

In the fourteenth chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus makes a promise to his disciples. He tells them that, after he’s gone to be with the Father, he will ask the Father to send them another Advocate to be with them always. Each year, on the Day of Pentecost, the Church remembers the fulfillment of that promise.

On this day, we remember the story as it’s told in the Book of Acts—that great day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in Jerusalem with tongues of fire, empowering them to preach the Gospel and carry out the mission of the Church.

The story of the first Day of Pentecost is a wonderful reminder of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Think about it for a moment.

Think about the disciples in our story this morning from Acts and how far they’ve come since the events of Holy Week and Easter.

Think back to that moment in the story when Jesus was arrested and handed over to suffering and death. If you’ll recall, most of his disciples scattered and went into hiding, fearful that they would suffer the same fate as their teacher.

They were scared and alone, and even after Jesus was crucified and his body was laid in the tomb, they remained in hiding, unsure of what would happen next.

In the first chapter of Acts, the author writes that, after Jesus’ suffering and resurrection from the dead, he appeared to his disciples over the course of forty days, giving them proof of his return and continuing to teach them about the Kingdom of God.

And, before he ascended into heaven, Jesus instructed his disciples to remain in Jerusalem and to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

When the Day of Pentecost finally arrives, it’s a turning point for the disciples of Jesus.

No longer are they able to hide in fear behind closed doors and keep the story of Jesus to themselves. No longer are they instructed to remain quiet about the things they’ve seen and heard.

No, Pentecost is the day when everything changes, the day when the followers of Jesus are empowered by the Holy Spirit and compelled to preach the Good News of God in Christ to all the world. The prophet Joel foretold this when he wrote, “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.”

My friends, the same is true for us today.

When we’re empowered by the Spirit of God—which all of us are—we’re compelled to go forth into the world to proclaim the love of God in Christ Jesus.

When we’re empowered by the Spirit of God—which all of us are—we’re compelled to speak the truth in love, and when we’re faithful to our calling, nothing will be able to stand in our way.

The same is true now as it was in the time of the first disciples. The Day of Pentecost is a public declaration of faith. It’s a reminder that this Good News of Jesus that we’ve been given must be shared with the world. We simply can’t keep it to ourselves.

It’s been a little over five years since millions of people from all over the world tuned in to watch the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry of Wales and Meghan Markle.

As most of you probably know, our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, was invited to be the guest preacher during the ceremony, and for those of you who’ve seen it, I think we can all agree that England wasn’t ready for the fiery sermon that Bishop Curry delivered!

In my opinion, the second best thing about the Bishop’s sermon, other than the message he gave, was seeing the looks of surprise on people’s faces as they watched in shock and bewilderment!

It looked a bit like what I imagine people’s reactions must’ve been on the first Day of Pentecost as they witnessed the disciples preaching the Gospel in their native language.

If you haven’t seen the video of the Bishop’s sermon, I highly encourage you to go and watch it.

In typical fashion, Bishop Curry preached with passion and charisma. He spoke of the transformative love of Jesus, inviting the people to consider what the world might look like if we let love guide our words and actions.

In the words of Bishop Curry, “Love is not selfish or self-centered. Love can be sacrificial, and in so doing, become redemptive. That way of unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive love changes lives. And it can change this world.”

A few days ago, I went back and watched the Bishop’s sermon again on YouTube, as I do from time to time, and I noticed that, since May of 2018, the video has been viewed over 1.3 million times. 1.3 million! Talk about a public declaration of faith.

In my mind, it was truly a Pentecost moment. There’s a reason why so many people from around the world were touched by the Bishop’s message.

And I think it’s because people are hungry for Good News. People want and need a message of hope, reminding them of the love of God—the love that binds all of us together as God’s children.

Imagine how many lives have been touched by the Bishop’s message. Imagine how many people have said, “This is what the Church should be preaching—a message of love and compassion and forgiveness.” Imagine how many hearts and minds have been changed about the Church, an institution that’s often been criticized for being only concerned with itself, and with good reason. Imagine how many people have thought to themselves, “Maybe there is a place for me in the Church after all.”

Now imagine what we can do in our own corner of God’s Kingdom.

Imagine what we can do as the Episcopal Church in Andalusia, Alabama. We may not be able to preach like Michael Curry and we may not be able to reach over a million people on YouTube, but there’s still so much we can do, right here in our own community.

We’re only limited by our drive and our imaginations. The Spirit of God is present in and among us, ready to teach us and guide us with God’s wisdom if we’ll only open our hearts and minds to listen for God’s voice.

On this Day of Pentecost, as the Church celebrates and gives thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us be bold and unafraid in our proclamation of the Gospel and work to make God’s Kingdom a reality.

Like the first disciples, let us step out in faith and declare to the world that the way of Jesus— the way of sacrificial, self-giving love—has the power to change lives and the power to transform this world. In the words of an ancient hymn from the eighth century: “O Holy Spirit, by whose breath, life rises vibrant out of death; come to create, renew, inspire; come, kindle in our hearts your fire.” Amen.