SET US ON FIRE
Acts 2:1-21 Romans 8:22-27 John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15
“Take our hearts and set them on fire.” That is what the
Day of Pentecost, which we observe this Sunday, is all
about. Following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, on this
50th day after the Passover, Jews of many nations gathered in Jerusalem
for the Festival of Weeks. It was then that the prophecy was
fulfilled and the Holy Spirit descended as tongues of fire, empowering
the disciples to proclaim the gospel to peoples of every race and
language.
These disciples had been privy to the astonishing example of Jesus and
had witnessed the miracle of his resurrection. But without the
means and confidence to share that story, they were stymied. But
when the Holy Spirit filled them, they were no longer concerned with
their personal fears and inadequacies, but about spreading the good
news.
Communication was the first tool of evangelism. But Pentecost was
about more than merely speaking myriad languages. The Holy Spirit
inspired so urgent and personal a calling that the disciples couldn’t
not go forth to share how their lives had been transformed by the
Christ. On the Day of Pentecost, something happened not only to
them, but within them.
These early disciples did not set out to start a new religion called
Christianity. Rather, they operated within the structure of
Jewish society as followers of Jesus. Yet as they spread the word
throughout the known world, gaining converts from Ephesus to Rome and
from Philippi to Galatia, Christianity was born.
It may be difficult for us to imagine the fervor and zeal that
propelled this ordinary group of people out of their comfort zone to
inspire others to follow the example of Jesus Christ. But that is
exactly what they did. And without them, there would be no church.
Standing in awe of their sacrifice, witness, and achievements, we begin
to ponder the status of Christianity in contemporary times. As
recently as April 13, the cover of Newsweek sported red letters
in the shape of a cross against a black background. The letters
read “The Decline and Fall of Christian America.”
Two questions come to mind. First, what has happened to the role
of “church” in our day? And, second, what can we learn from the
example of those early evangelists?
For a moment, let’s play a word association game. When I say the
word “church,” what are your first responses? Hopefully such
terms as “sanctuary,” “welcome,” “peace,” “community,” and
“love.”
But I’m not so sure those would be the reactions of a
cross-section of all people. From the general public, we might
also hear such words as “conflict,” “sin,” “guilt,” “politics,” and,
perhaps worst of all, “irrelevance.” It would be naive of us to
assume that the concept of “church” gives everyone a warm, fuzzy
feeling.
For example, I have a vivid memory of the time when my fifth grade
classmate Donna invited all the girls in our grade to a revival service
at her church. It seemed she would win a prize if she brought the
most children to the event. We went after school to a building very
unlike the beautiful, dignified Episcopal church my family
attended. We girls sat all in a row while a minister spoke
emotionally of hellfire and brimstone, words I had never before
associated with religion.
Then came the inevitable altar call. To this day, I can remember
my prickly, hot, nauseous feelings. On some level, I knew I was
being manipulated, but when my peers obediently left their seats, I,
too, was swept along to be saved.
I’ve often asked myself, what if that had been my only childhood
experience with “church”? Would I be standing here today
believing in a compassionate God who loves me, or would I have
developed thick-skinned skepticism of those who would purport to save
me from damnation?
No doubt many of you can recall similar negative
experiences. Perhaps an emphasis on the “thou shalt nots,”
a conflict between your personal faith and the arbitrariness of
institutional religion, or people you’ve encountered who “talk the
talk” but fail to” walk the walk.”
Historically, we can point to godless acts perpetrated in the name of
Christianity—from the Spanish Inquisition to the moral failures of
modern television evangelists. Our own beloved Anglican faith
began when England separated from Rome predominantly out of concerns
for political power and acquisition of property. Sadly,
spirituality had little to do with our origins.
Within our own denomination we find that sometimes the politics and
theology of the larger church interfere with our being the
church. Consider the brouhahas about the 1979 revision of the
Book of Common Prayer, the ordination of women, and the role of
homosexual persons in the life of the church. What happens
to us as a church when we become more concerned with being “right” than
with spreading the gospel?
For some among the unchurched or the disenchanted, the institutional
church has become simply one of many forces vying for time, money, and
attention. As the writer of the May 12 Forward Day by Day
meditation put it, “It’s hard to find a Christian today who outdoes
others in showing honor (except honor shown to those lined up on one’s
own side). Is it any wonder that many people outside the church
want nothing to do with us?”
And so we return to that upper room where a group of people no better
equipped than we are listened and attended to the Holy Spirit working
in their lives. What can we learn from them? How can we be
reignited, set on fire?
If communication is the first tool of evangelism, we might consider
what new language we may need to make the message of the risen Christ
relevant in others’ lives. Consider this. Although the 1979
prayer book revision was in large part a result of a study and
application of the liturgy of the early church, another element was
making the language more accessible to the person in the pew.
No matter how beautiful the King James-like syntax and vocabulary of
the earlier version, not everyone in late 20th Century America was
reached by “thees” and “thous” or by such unfamiliar words as
“propitiation” “manifold,” and “succour.”
So a challenge for us to consider is how we reach others in a
meaningful way in this so-called “post-Christian era.” What
personal concessions or institutional changes might we have to make to
be communicators of the Gospel in 2009? We have life-changing
stories to tell, enthusiasm to exhibit, and compassion to share.
How can we best make such witness compelling to others?
Even the most eloquent, persuasive communication is nothing without the
love that sustains it and changes lives. It is the love inherent
in our actions that communicates far beyond the power of our feeble
words. It was this love, inspired by the Holy Spirit, that set
the souls of those early disciples on fire; it is this love that can do
the same within us.
Eberhard Arnold in an essay titled “Spirit of Fire” has this to say concerning the Day of Pentecost:
The word has taken shape, love has become
real. Jesus showed what love meant. His word and life
proved that love knows no bounds. Love halts at no barrier.
It can never be silenced, no matter what circumstances make it seem
impossible to practice it. Nothing is impossible for the faith
that springs from the fire of love. . .
When the Spirit was given by the risen one,
he overturned everything and set it on fire. Then the disciples
were able to become a life-sharing community, and only then did their
love overflow. . . . Love had become in them a “holy must.” [From Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, p. 399.]
In these fast-paced and troubled times, it is easy to drown
in the vast sea of words spoken, broadcast, e-mailed, twittered, or
blogged. Our language of evangelism must go beyond empty words or
self-serving testimonials. We must “speak” the language of a love
that transcends denominational boundaries, that frees rather than
imprisons the listener, and that heals and transforms lives.
I ask you, where is the person who could resist a “life-sharing
community” where love is a “holy must”? This is the spirit of
Pentecost, present in the disciples gathered in the upper room and at
work in our own lives.
Indeed, Lord, on this Day of Pentecost, “take our hearts and set them on fire.”
AMEN.
Laura Shoffner
FEAST OF PENTECOST
St. James’ Episcopal Church
Eureka Springs, AR
31 MAY 2009