God’s Language of Love

A Sermon for the Day of Pentecost

June 5, 2022

The Rev. Robin Teasley

 

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. And the Lord said, "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech." So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. Genesis 11:1-9

 

 

When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

 

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."

 

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

 

`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. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "  Acts 2:1-21

 

 

Philip said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

 

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." 

John 14:8-17 (25-27)

 

 

Pentecost : The sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles,  Herrad of Landsberg

 

How many of you studied a foreign language in high school or college? How many of you excelled in class and can speak a second or third language fluently? How many of you were beyond thrilled to just pass the class and move on to other subjects?   Language is complicated and complex, and each language has its own rules and exceptions to the rules. You know, like i before e, except after c….

 

Today is Pentecost, sometimes called the birthday of the Church. It’s the day the Holy Spirit arrives as promised, to empower the Apostles to go out and proclaim the good news in every known language. Proclaiming requires some ability to communicate, to tell a story, to speak in ways that others can understand. This requires language, and our readings today focus on language. 

 

In the passage from Genesis, the people spoke the same language, and they were not interested in following God’s command to spread and multiply and fill the earth. Instead, they decided to stay right where they were and make a name for themselves so that they would not be scattered. They took matters into their own hands, building a tower to the heavens. Ironically, God had to come down from the heavens to see this tower, so clearly it was not as impressive as they thought. 

 

God was not judging their imagination to build or to grow. The issue was not the building of the tower itself, but the reasons for building it. The first goal they had was to make a name for themselves, with the longer-range purpose to avoid being scattered. They were consumed with self-sufficiency and self-importance, and so God scattered them and confused their language, scattering their egos and their exclusionary tendencies. Their language was not a language of love that proclaimed the glory of God and included all people.

 

The reading from Acts is probably familiar to many of us, if only for its strangeness. It’s the one we usually associate with Pentecost. The Apostles are in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish Feast of Pentecost which takes place fifty days after the Passover. Devout Jews from every nation, nations we can hardly pronounce, are there for the holy festival. The Apostles are there because they are still Jews, only now they are focused on moving into a new way of being followers of Jesus, who by this time has ascended into heaven. Before he left them, Jesus commissioned them to proclaim the good news, to share God’s language of love.

Pentecost Icon

 

And here is where things get strange. Suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. The people gathered there from every nation were amazed and perplexed, because they could hear the Apostles speaking about God’s deeds of power in their own languages! It was so strange that some thought the Apostles were drunk on new wine, the cheap stuff, and that they were just babbling. The arrival of the Holy Spirit was unexpected, powerful, and filled with wind and fire.

 

But the Holy Spirit doesn’t always show up in this powerful and obvious way.  In the Gospel of John, the Holy Spirit is quiet, not nearly as obvious. If you remember the story from the Sunday after Easter, Jesus walks through locked doors, breathes on his disciples, and they receive the Holy Spirit. There is no wind, no fire, no proclaiming in many languages, but in the languages of peace and love. Jesus is meeting the disciples exactly where they are.  And where they are, is breathless and afraid following the crucifixion of their beloved Teacher. 

 

In today’s reading from John, we backtrack a bit. Jesus is praying for his disciples before he is crucified, and he tells them he must return to his Father, but that he will send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will teach them everything and remind them of all he said. He leaves them with his peace, telling them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” Sometimes the Holy Spirit comes with gentleness, speaking peace, and sharing God’s language of love.

Pentecost, Duccio di Buoninsegna

 

Perhaps it seems as if we have been in a locked room of fear for over two years, waiting for the Holy Spirit to arrive. The world outside is uncertain, filled with disease, war, and violence. People seem unable to be kind. Sides are taken and we are caught up in making a name for ourselves, furthering our own agenda. Each of us has our own personal fears, anxieties, shortfalls, and failures and we don’t seem to be able to speak God’s language of love to one another very well. 

 

What if God has been preparing us for this exact moment? What if that is the beautiful work of the Spirit – to gather us together here in this place in this interim time? What if this experience of transition is preparing Immanuel to listen to the Spirit and to one another? To hear and speak God’s language of love?

 

Who are we and who do we believe God wants us to be? As we journey through this interim season, we will explore these questions together. Language will be essential as we share with and listen to one another and tell the stories of this congregation. We will look at how this faith community has been shaped and formed through the years. We will define and redefine the sense of purpose and direction of Immanuel. We will take a look at how things are organized, how all members are incorporated into the ministries of the church. We will explore how Immanuel is connected to the Diocese and to the local community. What is done well? What needs some help? What is missing? What is no longer effective? What brings us joy? 

This work will give the discernment committee information to create a parish profile that will attract your next rector, a rector who has the gifts needed to help Immanuel live into God’s dreams for us. Truthfully, we are always in transition. Always expecting the Spirit to blow into our lives, or enter quietly into our hearts, bringing new life and new ways of being the  Body of Christ. 

 

Come, Holy Spirit! Rush over us and bring us fresh air and needed change. The Spirit can fill a heart or fill a room.  It can appear as tongues of fire, giving us the courage to proclaim the gospel in new ways and in new places. It can create soft breezes of wisdom and understanding to help us really hear what others are saying, to really listen with compassion when we hear the Spirit speaking through that person who lives and thinks very differently than we do. The Spirit can bring motivation when we are afraid to try something new, or peace and comfort when we lose that which we were certain we could not live without.  

 

Do we believe in a God who walks through locked doors and breathes peace and creates rushing winds and sets our heads on fire? Do we believe in a God who has the power to transform us, both individually and as the Church? Are we ready for the breath of God to change our lives so that we might go forth into all the world proclaiming the good news in God’s language of love? Come, Holy Spirit!