Presented Pentecost Sunday • May 31, 2020 by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on Acts 2:1-13
A violent rush of wind. Tongues of fire! People shouting in a host of different languages! It’s no wonder that some people observing this spectacle considered everyone to be drunk!
This encounter with the Holy Spirit doesn’t sound peaceful or pleasant. The Spirit arrives with violent winds and flames. Yes, experiences with the Holy Spirit can be intense and unsettling, even frightening.
If you flip through our Presbyterian hymnal, you will find many Christmas hymns and Easter songs, hymns for Advent and Lent, many songs about God and Jesus. But we only have a few dedicated to the Holy Spirit. Our hymnal reflects our Presbyterian stance towards the Holy Spirit—it is mysterious and maybe even a bit scary, and best kept at bay. (We are Presbyterians, after all.) We value decency and order. We are the denomination of committees and procedure. We plan ahead. We like having back up plans for our back up plans. The Holy Spirit, then, makes us uneasy as it is unbridled and unpredictable. We think of the long, intense worship services of Pentecostals who fly by the seat of their pants by the whims of the Holy Spirit. You never know what to expect, which is tough to imagine, right?
Something changing in the middle of our worship? I can think of nothing more unnerving for Presbyterians! Our service going longer than 1 hour—God forbid! Yet here we are now in May 2020—unable to even worship in our own sanctuary because of a global pandemic. Bulletins, choirs, potlucks, and so many of those things that have been an integral part of “church” may now be a thing of the past. How quickly things change.
I come from a sailing family—being on the water is a part of our family culture. On the water, things can change in an instant—from placidity to turbulence within seconds. And usually the changes correspond to the wind. I’ve experienced a few harrowing times upon the water while under sail. Much of life is unpredictable and chaotic just like the wind; we have all been made painfully aware of this truth by COVID-19. We not only fear catching the virus, but it seems certain that we will be in an economic depression for some years to come. And the other issues we have been struggling with aren’t going anywhere either—global warming, racism, active shooters. We face storms in our lives as we face storms on the seas and we are in the midst of a doozy now. Some days I feel lost and overwhelmed and I bet you do, too.
So how are we to navigate these stormy, chaotic days? Well, a sailor would advise us by saying, “you can’t control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.” How true! So many things are out of our control, like the wind and this cursed virus, so maybe it’s best to just let go of our need to control everything. We often sweat the small stuff, and now is not the time for such trivial matters.
The Holy Spirit is up to something big—blowing violently in the world, in our communities, and in our churches. We would be wise to discuss and discern what new opportunities are rising out of this crisis. The truth is the church needs the Holy Spirit just like a sailboat needs wind; without it, a sailboat will just bob up and down in the waves and currents, and churches just get stuck in our traditions while the world passes us by.
Fortunately, the church, much like a sailboat, is full of tools and wisdom which enable us to boldly join the Spirit on the journey—sailing knowledge, a skilled crew, reliable charts, a deep keel, a strong tiller, fast lines, and a ship-shape vessel. Christ is our anchor. The Spirit is ready to blow us to our next destination. Rather than fighting the wind, let us use our gifts to let it guide us in a new direction.
In the midst of storms and uncertainly, the sailboat will lean, but the deep keel is used as a counterbalance to keep the ship up right and smoothly cutting through the swells. Trust in God and in one another, have faith in the Holy Spirit, and let our visions lead us to new lands. When we “let go and let God,” amazing things happen.
Most importantly, now is the time to put our trust in the Holy Spirit and take big risks. Our churches are rapidly changing, just as our culture is, and the coronavirus has expedited this reality. The Spirit is actually opening doors to us all the time, but do we have the eyes to see them or the willingness to step out on faith to engage such opportunities? Indeed, like the sailors of old, will we have the courage to leave behind familiar shores in search of new lands? For truly, it is upon the seas that give us beautiful vistas and exciting experiences. We are able to reach destinations we never thought possible.
In closing, today, we not only celebrate the presence of the Holy Spirit and the many gifts it gives us, but we also celebrate the birth of the church. Pentecost was not a singular occurrence. The book of Acts goes on to relate a great variety of occasions in which the Spirit mobilizes Jesus' followers and inaugurates new directions for ministry and community.
And guess what … we are in one of those eras now when we are being stretched into a new way of being the church. The Spirit is blowing—can you feel it? I think it’s time to go sailing! Amen!
