Can You See Me Now?
By Lisa Rzepka, May 30, 2004
John 14:8-17,
25-27, Acts 2:1-21
Opening Prayer
O God of sacred stories, we give thanks for the witness of
Holy Scripture. Through it you nurture our imaginations, touch
our feelings, increase our awareness and challenge our assumptions.
Bless we pray, our hearing of your Word this day. Amen.
The placement together this morning of our two Scripture
readings, as recommended by the Revised Common Lectionary
calendar of readings, reminds me of a film technique that
seems popular as of late. The technique is to start with the
outcome of the story followed by scenes which you have to
piece together to understand the storyline. The sequence is
not necessarily chronological. I'm thinking of movies like
21 Grams, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or Sliding
Doors to name a few. If you haven't seen them, I commend them
to you not necessarily because of content but because they
are an interesting exercise in watching and hearing a story.
This morning we could think of our Scripture readings as
two scenes from two chronologically different time periods
yet focused on the same…subject or character…if you will,
to use the movie analogy a little further…and the character
is the Holy Spirit. Let's see if we can play out theses scenes
together and get a deeper sense of how we might cast this
'character' ~ the Holy Spirit.
On this day in the church year we gather to celebrate Pentecost
- the birth of the Church. Yet in this first scene, the Galilean
disciples had traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish
festival of Pentecost ~ originally a harvest festival - which
was later adapted and practiced as a festival fifty days after
Passover to celebrate the giving of the Law at Sinai. The
first Pentecost for the Christian church was an event of Jews,
gathered to celebrate their tradition, and on that day, came
to recognize the movement of God through one called Jesus.
It's important to note that these witnesses to Christ continued
to be Jewish and live in continuity with the Jewish tradition
for a considerable time afterwards. That's our scene or contextual
backdrop.
Now in this first scene some Galileans, friends and disciples
of Jesus are all gathered together in one place when a violent
wind rushes through the house. Not a gentle waft, not a balmy
breeze of air - it was a rush of violent gust - they didn't
have time to get to the basement; if there were basements
- suddenly tongues of fire appeared on each one of them. Now
I ask you, why hasn't Hollywood tackled this one? What a sight!
Preacher Tom Long tells of time when the context was mistaken.
Rev. Long was teaching a confirmation class of three young
people. He told the story of Pentecost to them; they heard
about the flaming tongues and how the Gospel was spoken in
all the languages of the world. Two of the youth seemed to
take this story in stride. The third, however, with wide astonished
eyes burst out, "Gosh, Rev. Long, we must've been absent that
Sunday."
"The beauty of that moment was not that he misunderstood
about Pentecost, but that he understood about the church.
In his mind, there was the possibility that the event of Pentecost
could have happened, even in a Sunday service.
At that first Pentecost we're told that the Galileans were
FILLED with the Holy Spirit - which gave them the ability
to speak in languages they were not previously able to be
UNDERSTOOD in - and it amazed and astounded the crowds. "What
does this mean", the crowds asked.
FLASHBACK - This is where there would be a scene switch to
John's gospel --- "What does this mean" is exactly the question
Jesus is trying to answer for the disciples gathered in another
room. Jesus and the disciples have all had dinner and Jesus
is preparing his disciples for life without him. They can't
imagine life without Jesus and they begin peppering him with
questions. Thomas asks, "How can we know the way?" Jesus responds
that Thomas needs to keep focused on Jesus for he is the way,
the truth and the life. Keep focused on the relationship between
Jesus and the Father. John uses very relational language to
describe the relationship between God and Jesus. If Thomas
knows Jesus, he will know the Father. Then Philip says, "Show
us the Father and we will be satisfied."
Now I hear a bit of disbelief in Jesus' voice - "Philip,
have I been with you all this time and you still don't know
me? "How can you say show us the Father?"
MORE FLASHBACKS -- Does Philip remember the time Jesus met
that invalid at the pool and said, "Take up your mat and walk"
and he did. Or the time the children did as children do and
came running to Jesus; it bothered the disciples but Jesus
explained that children belong in the household of God. Then
there was the leper, who came to Jesus for restoration and
Jesus reached out and touched him - touched the unclean and
sent him on his way. There was the time he offered living
water to a Samaritan woman thirsty from the troubles of life.
Didn't Philip and the others remember the stories and parables
of the kingdom - stories about prodigals and Samaritans, rich
and poor, the least, the last, the lost?
There could be spots where Jesus' asks, "Can you see me now?"
And Philip said, "Yes, but show us God."
Jesus is used to stumbling blocks from his opponents. Yet,
in this scene Jesus' claims about the incarnation are a stumbling
block for his own. Jesus tells Philip and the rest - believe
me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you
don't, believe because of the works - the evidence themselves.
And then he announces a NEW teaching - the ones who believe
in him will do GREATER works than Jesus. Jesus will be with
the Father, praying on our behalf AND he'll send an Advocate,
hmm, another characterization of the Holy Spirit. How is this
possible…what does this mean…greater works than Jesus…?
Greater works…scene switch back to Jerusalem and the Pentecost
festival. It's loud, there's a hum in the air, not cicadas
but spoken words that are understood in native tongues. What
does this mean? Now there were some that went for the obvious
answer - they're drunk!
We are NOT, not at 9:00 AM says Peter!
Remember Peter -- the one a little afraid to speak up --
the one who denied Jesus three times at the crucifixion? By
the power of that violent wind, or the Advocate, or the Teacher,
or the Counselor - any of these terms are used to describe
the Spirit - by the power of the Holy Spirit he FOUND his
voice and proclaimed that the prophecy of Joel had been fulfilled.
Peter told the story of Jesus the Christ and you know what
happened? We didn't read it this morning but it follows later…
The people were cut to the heart, in the Greek this can also
be translated; the people were pierced in the heart.
Imagine how this might be portrayed today. I mean, hearing
about being pierced in the heart reminds me of the body art
that I see all around today; tattoos, scarring, piercing eyebrows,
lips, tongues, navels, arms, knuckles, and places that can't
be mentioned here. Now people of every age have sought to
illuminate who they are by clothing and adornment. (Note the
robes and stoles.) But in this time and place there is something
increasingly noticeable about body projects.
I've always been one to admire non-conformity, and for some
this is simply a venture into non-conformity, but some of
this body art seems to scream, "Can you see me now?"
Thirty-something, Generation X author Tom Beaudoin has "a
take on piercing and tattooing, one that takes into account
religious yearnings of those seeking to mark their bodies.
Piercing, he argues, signifies immediate, bodily, and constant
attention to the intimacy of experience. Piercing and tattooing
serve to bring interior wounds to the surface of the body
and to bring attention to the body itself."
For Beaudoin, piercing and tattooing also reflect the failure
of contemporary institutions - most notably the church - to
provide experiences that are deeply meaningful and so deeply
marking. He says, "All of these trends in bodily adornment
are shot through with Generation X's desire for meaning, for
God."
It sounds like they may be asking the same question as Thomas,
or people of all generations, who are still asking, "How can
we know the way?" Or, like Philip, "Show us God." We all ask
these questions.
Might there be a place in your heart - that you can identify
with being wounded? Yet, in that same heart - have you had
a Pentecost moment - where God has been so very present and
you are so filled with the Spirit that you can share it with
those whose hearts are troubled and asking…What are we to
do?
I offer the observations on the young as but one example
of who may be in the crowds waiting for those filled with
the Spirit to bring them a word of proclamation, a word of
Comfort, a word of teaching about the One who knew God so
intimately, whose heart was on fire with Love that it was
contagious.
I remember once a college student named Bill. He had green
hair, a black t-shirt full of holes, a couple of facial piercings
and no shoes. He was eccentric, but very bright as well. He
went to MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) which wasn't
far from our traditional, rather well-dressed congregation.
One Sunday Bill decided to come to worship with the congregation.
He walked into church with no shoes, wild hair, piercings
and t-shirt. When he arrived the service had already started
and Bill started looking down the aisle for a place to sit.
The church was full so Bill made his way to the front and
sat on the floor.
People started looking rather uncomfortable but no one said
anything. The minister noticed that an elder was making his
way down the aisle from the back of the church. The elder
was in his 80s, had silver hair, and was dressed in a three
piece suit. He was very dignified and a pillar of the church.
Some people began to whisper that you couldn't really blame
him for what he was going to do. He was an elder after all
and needed to keep order in the church service. It took a
long time for the man to reach Bill. As his cane clicked along
the floor of the sanctuary, the whole church waited to see
what he would say or do. When the elder reached where Bill
was sitting, he dropped his cane on the floor. With great
difficulty, he lowered himself down and sat next to Bill,
so that he would not have to worship alone.
The minister finally spoke, "What I am about to preach, you
might never remember. What you have just seen, you will never
forget."
At that moment, the congregation was cut to the heart and
they recognized the Holy Spirit - the One that has not left
them alone. And this story gets told and people are invited
into the communion of the Spirit.
The movie motif breaks down a bit here; because the story
of Pentecost doesn't end. My hope is that you have a bucket
of memories of different moments in which to share the work
of a Spirit that has unfathomable depth - that can't be explained
in only one way and so the stories can go on and on.
Pentecost is a festival of faith and proclaims that God is
in your life. Pentecost is about setting the stories and the
proclamation in motion. We were promised that we "will do
greater things," not because we are more perfect or righteous
than Jesus, but because the Church covers a more far-reaching
horizon and has a vaster possibility for social change. Jesus
promised not to leave us to our own resources. By the power
of the Spirit God has called each of us to use a language
of healing and restoration to a world desperately needing
it. Go out and share the Spirit. Tell your Pentecost stories.
Amen
© Copyright, 2004, Lisa Rzepka
All Rights Reserved.
Providence Presbyterian Church
Fairfax, Virginia
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