Driven by the Holy Spirit
Pentecost
May 19, 2024
Fr. Tim Nunez
May my spoken word be true to God’s written word and bring us all closer to the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
It’s a curious exercise to try and put ourselves in the disciples’ place at any point in the Gospel. It was such a different time and different culture. Do any of us have any experience of following someone around for years like that?
It appears that as they go along, Jesus’ disciples expect things to continue as they had, more or less. They would all keep doing what they were doing and Jesus’ influence would spread farther and farther as he and they reached more people, and that would spark real change for Israel. They were right about that in some respects. Eventually Jesus and his movement would overthrow the Romans – but in about 280 years, and by conversion, not conquest.
For now, the disciples cannot see the looming, imminent danger right in front of them, despite the fact that Jesus had repeatedly taught them about it during his ministry and really focused on it that night of the Last Supper.
Isn’t that life? We plan and prepare based on our best assumptions and assessments, grounded in principles and reading the current signs as best we can. But like those disciples, we cannot see the sudden changes and chances that life holds. Some of them are great joys, like meeting a person who will become your spouse or best friend. Some are great hardships, like losing someone very dear.
The night before he died, Jesus poured out a lot of instructions and encouragements to prepare his disciples for the trauma of his death, the wonder of his departure and to prepare them to carry on once he ascended to the Father. Best of all, he promised them help.
Our translation this morning quotes Jesus as saying he would send them “the Advocate.” That is a fair translation of the Greek word Parakletos or Paraclete. It literally means “one called alongside,” and is also translated as helper, encourager, comforter and consoler, among others. He also says, “The Spirit of Truth” that will guide them into all truth. All of that together is a profound gift.
We understand ourselves as beings of mind, body and spirit. We think, we have physical bodies, clear enough. And we also experience a third aspect of being, our spirit distinctly attuned to ourselves, our environment including each other and with God. To be inspired is to acknowledge an in-spiriting be it from a sunset or a story or God himself.
Jesus sending them the Holy Spirit is a priceless gift that comes after his death and resurrection. They are given the gift of eternal life through him and they are charged with carrying on his ministry. The living and the ministry are hard, crushingly difficult at times and deadly for these disciples. Yet, whether from their own speeches and writings or from others’ description of them, we hear only of courage, conviction, endurance and thanksgiving even when they are in prison and even as they face their own deaths.
How? Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit to those disciples gathered in the upper room that first Easter night. The Holy Spirit descended as tongues of fire on all those – about 3,000 of them – who gathered and were baptized on that Day of Pentecost. They continued Christian baptism by water and the Holy Spirit. We have been baptizing Christians by water and the Holy Spirit ever since, and the Holy Spirit has been animating Christians ever since.
There are some wild manifestations of the Holy Spirit that draw attention to this day, speaking in tongues for example, but none are more well-documented, none are more dramatic, than the ways the Holy Spirit comes to us, meets our spirit, and helps, encourages, comfort and consoles us as He guides us into all truth. Come Holy Spirt! We all need him, not least these graduates.
Graduates: You are at an inflection point in your life. That was a little fuzzy for the disciples, but not for you. You have caps and gowns, ceremonies, parties and a dedicated church service and picnic to make it abundantly clear. And the term graduation means you have leveled-up. You have earned that degree. You can make a lot of mistakes ahead, but they cannot take that away.
You cannot fall back into high school. If you have reason to visit, you’ll have to sign in and get a little paper name tag like the rest of us. Soon, you will understand what is meant by, “That’s so high school.”
Like the disciples, you can’t see ahead either. Your independence as an adult means that you get to make your own decisions. Part of growing up is learning to make, live with and prosper or recover from your decisions. Don’t fear failure, it is often one of our best teachers.
You can and should gather as much wisdom and advice from your families and other trusted sources. Experience is very helpful and if you can get it from others, maybe you can avoid some of the troubles and achieve some of the successes we’ve known. Principles and reading the current signs are important. But remember that none of us can see the future all that clearly, either. And your decisions are your own.
That said, how great is it that God created you and loves you so much that he gave you his Son so that, believing in him you can have eternal life? God himself has given you this priceless gift of the Holy Spirit. That very same Holy Spirit that came on Pentecost to animate Jesus’ followers is already with you.
I think the world of you and I hope you trust that I am always happy to be there for you in any circumstance and give the best counsel I can. But here’s the very best I can offer: In big decisions and small, do not neglect to ask for the Holy Spirit to bless and guide you into all truth. Just ask Him, out loud. And listen. Let the Holy Spirit help, encourage, comfort and console you. And let Him guide you into all truth.
And remember, the Holy Spirit came to the disciples and comes to you so that you can be a witness to help, encourage, comfort and console others. And you will help guide others into all truth and be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.
Amen.