Pentecost sermon 2001 - The Rev. John R. Coble

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Trinity Episcopal Church
44 East Market St.
Bethlehem PA 18018-5989
610-867-4741

Pentecost - 2001
The Rev. John R. Coble
Sunday, June 3, 2001

"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one hear them speaking in the native language of each." - Acts 2:3-4, 6

Today the Christian Church stops to celebrate an incredible experience of the mystery of the power of God and the beginning of the Church's mission. For those who are history buffs and know how it is that history repeats itself may see this event as a reversal of the Tower of Babel story in Genesis chapter 11. In that story the people of the earth gathered to build for themselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, so they could make a name for themselves. But the Lord God intervened and confused their language so that they would not understand one another's speech. In the Pentecost Story the reverse is true. Here the Spirit of God intervenes to bring people of various languages to the point where even though people spoke their various languages each one of them heard others speaking in their own native language. How could that be possible? It was possible because all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. They understood one another in spite of the different languages. Now I have been in the church for over sixty years and I know that for people to understand one another there has to be a divine intervention of major proportions.

The Book of Acts is Luke's second literary work and apparently follows upon his initial writing of the Gospel of Luke. This means that Acts was written after the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD and therefore was available several decades after today's Epistle lesson by Paul to the Church in Corinth. In that lesson Paul is attempting to bring unity to the church in Corinth by reminding all parties that each of their gifts come from the same Holy Spirit. He ultimately gives them a lecture about love, which is now that famous 13th chapter which follows immediately upon this reading. But here Paul is reminding them that the same Holy Spirit has given them the gifts they are all arguing about regarding which is the greatest. He mentions the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment and tongues. However, not one of those gifts is more valuable then the other. And most importantly, they all come from the same Spirit. Obviously Paul is pressing that precious gift of inclusion, a gift which all churches need to work toward and a gift that comes only from the Holy Spirit at work among its members.

Thus far we have two very different experiences of the mysterious power of the Holy Spirit. Luke recalls how when the church gathered it was deeply empowered by the Holy Spirit and then begin their mission regarding the mighty acts of God in Jesus Christ. Paul is addressing a church perhaps forty years old and thirty years before Luke's writing. He is showing them how the Holy Spirit has been at work in them through their gifts of ministry even though they could not recognize that Spirit at work in others. Then we have that very unusual Gospel reading from John. He is writing at the end of the century, and tells us of the initial resurrection experience of Jesus with the church and claims, at a gathering that very same evening, Jesus gives the apostles the gift of the Holy Spirit. Today we separate Easter and Pentecost by eight weeks but for John they happened all in the same day. And with the giving of the Holy Spirit Jesus also added the mission of forgiveness. You recall his words: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Now before your throw up your hands and leave the church allow me to set you at ease with all of this. It has become very clear to me over the years of ministry that the Gift of the Holy Spirit has come to the church and to individual people like you and me in many, many ways. Furthermore, whenever you and I experience the Holy Spirit it is always surrounded by mystery. The Acts story is very mysterious not only in the way it was presented but also in the way it happened. When Paul addressed the embattled Church at Corinth I am sure he had shared with them the mystery of his own experience on the Road to Damascus. Certainly that was filled with mystery. But in both Acts and Paul's letter what followed the experience of the Holy Spirit was always the mission of the church. It just is not enough to experience God's Spirit; we must also live in the mystery of this new gift. And sometimes the giving of the Spirit is very mysterious.

I have come to believe that life is a mystery. However, it is not a mystery to be solved but one to be lived into. I believe everyone is spiritual but not every one is religious. When I retired from this great parish four years ago I did not know how I was going to continue to experience the mystery of the Holy Spirit. As it has turned out I have had very little to fear. The Holy Spirit continues to be at work in my life.

Ron was only fifty-eight years old when they discovered his brain cancer. After the surgery he was committed to a wheelchair, that is when he was not in bed. When the Hospice nurse admitted him to the program she mentioned the services of a chaplain. Ron hesitated because he felt a chaplain would not understand or may well laugh at his spirituality. The nurse tried to discourage his thinking but was not able to convince him. She suggested that I call his sister to discover if there was a way that I could visit him. The sister was so overwhelmed with care needs that she never returned my calls. Finally the nurse suggested that I just stop in to visit which I did.

Ron had difficulty speaking what he was thinking and sometimes he would just stop in the middle of a sentence and never finish it. His one son was present so I could get information and begin to appreciate the situation. I had promised myself to maintain a low profile of spirituality so I could discover where he was. However, at one point I drifted into my usual Christian mode and happened to say, "Well, Ron, God loves you." Immediately he looked at me and said, "I do not believe in God." I was upset with myself for saying what I did in this situation. As I looked at him it seemed he wanted to say more to explain his position and I was most willing to hear it. However, the only words that he could say were, "I believe in God. I believe in God." Then he shook his head in apparent frustration, as it seemed the words he wanted to say eluded him and so he just kept quiet.

When I got ready to leave I felt that I could not offer a prayer from a Christian perspective, as was my habit as it might be more offensive to him. I really did not know what I was going to say when I stood up and shook his hands. Then suddenly these words came out of my mouth, words that I have never uttered to anyone in my entire life. I said, "May the force be with you." Suddenly a very broad smile came over his face and he squeezed my hand. Without knowing it I felt I made contact with Ron. When I shared that story at the Hospice Team meeting the nurse said, to me, "I knew you would make contact with him." I added, "you apparently knew more than I did"

Upon my second visit the following week Ron was not speaking at all. A home health aide was with him so I did have someone to talk with. Ron did not look up but stared at the food he held in his hand. He had stopped eating as well. Just about the time I was wondering what I should do the phone rang. It happened to be Ron's sister so I asked if I could speak with her. At first she was filled with apology for not contacting me. Then I began to update her on my initial visit. When I told her what I said to Ron she became very silent. At first I feared I had offended her but then she went on to say that what I had said to Ron was what Ron always said to the children when they left the home. She was so grateful for my insight. I tried to explain that it was not me at all but I do not know if she understood what I was saying.

Ron died a few days later and his sister called to ask me to conduct the funeral service. I was honored but also a bit scared. I felt that I had to walk a careful line but also discovered that most of his friends and family had some connections with a church, distant as some of them were. I really struggled about what to say and which portions of Scripture to use and what prayers to offer. I told the story of my visits with Ron and that led me to talk about my spiritual journey from age six to today. I noted that Ron and I had some interesting similarities. There were over one hundred and seventy people present in the funeral home. Ron was very much loved and admired and apparently touched the lives of many little leaguers who were now adults.

To conclude the service I felt that a traditional Christian blessing was inappropriate so I used the serenity prayer, as that seemed appropriate for some reason. At the end of the service his sister said, "that service was perfect." I felt very relived not so much about what I did but about what she had heard. At the following Hospice Team Meeting that same nurse asked me why I used the serenity prayer to conclude the service. I told her that I did not know except it seemed appropriate even though in thirty-four years as pastor I never did that before. She turned to me and asked, "Did you know that Ron was a recovering alcoholic?" I responded, "No"

"And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each." I believe the Holy Spirit is constantly at work in our lives. I believe we are confronted with that mystery every day of our lives. I believe it is important for us to stop and gather so we may hear how that same Spirit is present to us and present in others. So I leave you with this prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference. Grant me your Spirit to live one day at a time; to enjoy one moment at a time; to accept hardship as the pathway to peace. Give me your Holy Spirit so to take, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it. That I may trust your Spirit to make all things right if I surrender my will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy in the next life.

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Trinity Episcopal Church
44 East Market St.
Bethlehem PA 18018-5989
610-867-4741