St. Alban's Episcopal church
Our mission is to proclaim the love of God in Christ Jesus for all
The Episcopal Church in Stuttgart, Arkansas
A sermon for the Feast of Pentecost
June 5, 2022 The Rev. Mark Nabors, Vicar Today is the Feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. We call it our birthday because it is on this day that the Spirit of God, poured out, creates the Church, the Body of Christ. We are only the Church, the Body of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not our good works that make us the Church; it is not who we are that makes us the Church; it is, rather, the Spirit and the grace of God poured out into us that makes us the Church, uniting us to one another, and to the Body of Christ throughout the world and throughout time. Today we read about how that Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church. The disciples have gathered in Jerusalem in obedience to Christ. He told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Spirit, and wait they did. For ten days. Praying. Fasting. Wondering. And then it happened. Acts tells us that the Spirit of God descends on them like fire, like a violent wind. It is the same violent wind that brooded upon the waters at the beginning of creation. And like then, the Spirit is making something new on this day: a new Body, infused with the Holy Spirit, empowered to bear witness to Christ and to tell of how he has saved us. The disciples begin to speak in other languages–the languages of those around them–so that they may share the Good News, the Gospel of Christ. Barriers that divide are broken down. Differences in language, nation, culture, class, race, gender–they cannot stop the liberating power of the Spirit. You and I, heirs of those first Christians, have the same promised Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives within us, empowering us to share the Good News, leading us to follow Christ in this world that needs to see him now more than ever. The Holy Spirit, in whom we live and move and have our being, makes us children of God, makes our hearts the throne of God, makes our bodies the Temple of God. In Romans today, St. Paul says we did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. We did not receive a spirit that keeps us bound to sin and death. We did not receive a spirit that cannot liberate us from the evil around us. And take a look, there is evil around us. The false gods of this world seek to impose their will. We see the will of the false gods of this world when we see bombed out buildings and rows of headstones with the names of the fallen. We see the will of the false gods of this world when we see children hungry, seniors unable to afford food or medication. We see the will of the false gods of this world when we see people divided by race, by class, by gender, by who God made them to be. We see the will of the false gods of this world when we see hatred infesting hearts, innocents slaughtered in grocery stores, doctors’ offices, and schools. And we may be tempted to shrink back in fear–because what can we do? We may be tempted to shrink back in fear–because how can we escape, how can we not be bound to this cycle of abuse and violence? We may be tempted to shrink back in fear–because who are we against such terror? You and I? Who are we? We’re children of the Most High God. “We did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,” St. Paul says. No, “we have received a spirit of adoption.” We have been made children of God Almighty, the Lord of Life and Love. So we can stand up, come what may. We do not need to be afraid, come what may. We can have courage, come what may. Because we know God hears us when we cry out to him: Abba! Father! We are not insulated from the bad things that happen in this world. In fact, St. Paul says we will suffer in this world, just as our Lord suffered in this world. Our world is fallen, and you and I are impacted by evil. But we are not enslaved to it. We are free–free from its power–because we know that evil does not get the last word. Sin does not get the last word. Satan himself does not get the last word. No, God gets the last word. God gets the victory. Glory awaits. And at the end we will see Christ standing victorious over all the violence, all the hatred, all the bigotry, all the pain, all the tears, all the hardship, all the evil, all the despair. We will see Christ wipe away every tear from our eyes. We will see Christ make a new heaven and a new earth, where there is neither pain nor grief, but life eternal. We will see Christ banish fear, and violence, and hatred, along with that old Serpent, forever. But for now, as we live in this world, we take heart. We have courage. We believe in the promises and power of God. Because the Spirit of God lives within us. The Spirit of God empowers us, and strengthens us, and gives us the boldness to face down evil when it comes our way. We are children of God. We are joint heirs with Christ. And God is on our side. So happy birthday, Church. All of that is certainly worth celebrating. Comments are closed.
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