"Receive the Holy Spirit"

Pentecost (Year A)

Acts 2.1-21; John 20.19-23

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (Beginning at 15:00)

Our first reading, from the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, presents the iconic image of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Namely, that the Holy Spirit arrived amongst a crowded assembly of the disciples and numerous other people from Jerusalem, where the disciples were staying. We are told that the Holy Spirit arrived with a sound like the rush of a violent wind. Following this, tongues of fire appeared over the heads of those present, indicating that each had received and been filled with the Holy Spirit. As a sign of this, they all began to speak in other languages. In response to some ridicule from skeptics—“They are filled with new wine”—Peter addresses the assembly, quoting the Prophet Joel. About how it was foretold that God will pour out his Spirit upon all people, with the result being that many will prophesy: sons and daughters, men and women, slave and free. And that the old will see visions and the young will dream dreams.

This is the image that we usually think of on this day. The image that we celebrate by wearing red and decorating the church with red streamers or with images of flames. This is the scene we attempt to reenact by reading the Gospel in multiple languages—either separately, or as we have done the last couple of years, all at once, creating a cacophony of sound that resembles that first Pentecost—the numerous voices speaking different languages, even resembling the sound of the rush of a violent wind. This is the image that we seek to recreate, on which we focus our attention. This is the imagery that is most often the focus of sermons on this day. But that is not where I’m going to go today.

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Preparing for What Comes Next

Seventh Sunday of Easter (Year A)

Acts 1.6-14

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (Beginning at 16:30)

There are those awkward moments in the church calendar where we don’t quite know what is happening. When something has happened, but we are in an in-between time waiting for what is to come next. When we are left with a feeling of, “now what?” When we are left with a feeling of uncertainty, maybe even emptiness. We went through one of those “moments” seven weeks ago—that awkward time between Jesus’ death on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter morning. Holy Saturday, that time when the world was empty as Jesus lies in the tomb. Despite having been told by Jesus that he would be killed and then raised to new life, the disciples certainly felt that sense of being alone, of being abandoned. Sure, Jesus said he would return on the third day, but the disciples seemed a little uncertain as to whether that would indeed be the case. And even in our own time, this side of the resurrection, when we know exactly what happens, that time between Good Friday and Easter Day is still an empty, lonely time. Where it almost feels as if Jesus really is gone and we are left on our own.

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Seeking the One in Whom We Live and Move and Have Our Being

Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year A)

Acts 17.22-31; John 14.15-21

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (Beginning at 14:00)

As I ponder our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, I am struck by the similarities between first century Athenians and us 21^st century Americans. In Paul’s oration to the Athenians, we see rich imagery and theological truths that still speak to us 2,000 years later.

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How Can We Know the Way?

Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year A)

John 14.1-14

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (Beginning at 00:00)

The first part of our Gospel reading will sound familiar to many of you. Of course, we do hear it once every three years in our lectionary. But it will be particularly familiar to those who have ever attended one or more Episcopal funerals. This first part is one of the recommended Gospel readings for funerals. And, in my experience, it is the most popular. I don’t know how many times I have had to preach on this Gospel at funerals. Okay, I do know. Of the 45 funerals I have preached at, 31 used John 14.1-6 as the Gospel. I think the reason this particular Gospel is so popular—that it is so comforting—is its talk about us being welcomed into God’s realm, into heaven; that Jesus promises that he goes to prepare a place for our loved ones who have gone before and to prepare a place for us. When I preach on this Gospel, I almost always talk about how this passage is not about location—about dwelling places in heaven—but is really about relationship. About the ideal of relationship epitomized by that of Jesus and God; that we are invited into that relationship; and how the model of the relationship Jesus and God share is to inform our own relationships.

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Embracing Life Abundant

Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year A)

John 10.1-10

The Rev. Michael K. Fincher

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 11:20)

We all recognize the imagery of Jesus as the Good Shepherd in today’s Gospel reading, even though he does not actually refer to himself as the Good Shepherd. He does not even go there until the next verse after the end of today’s Gospel. Rather, today Jesus introduces the concept in a more subtle way. It is a positive image of the shepherd caring for the sheep, leading them out of the sheepfold to green pastures and fresh water, leading them into the sheepfold at night to keep them safe from predators. Because of this care given the sheep, there is a profound trust in the shepherd that is given to no other: “the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” We understand precisely what Jesus is saying about himself and our relationship with him. That he is the Good Shepherd who takes care of us with love and tender care. Since most of us have heard numerous sermons on the subject, since many churches have paintings and stained-glass windows devoted to one of the most beloved images of Jesus, we are clear on the concept. No need to really belabor the point.

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