“THE GOSPEL OF SPOKEN WIND”
Acts 2: 1-13; St. John 14: 23-31
Whitsunday - The Feast of Pentecost: 15 May Anno Domini 2016
Father Jay Watson SSP
Oremus—Kyrie Eleison, Christie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison. Maranatha. Amen.
Latin and Greek; but you are not Romans or Achaians. I could preach the homily in Finnish, German or Welsh, but the lingua franca for this country is not Latin or any of those, but English.
But there are languages—“tongues” for all the other nations and peoples of the world. God so loved “the world” that He did not only send a Savior God but a Savior Man—the God/Man Christos/Messias Yeshua/Iesoun to speak Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew. The “ha Logos,” Word made flesh by the power of Hagios Pneuma of the Blessed Semper Virgo, Saint Marium, spoke words that were understood by His audiences and then later translated and re-translated so that they might be preached to the ends of the earth—heard and understood. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by The Word of God.
Fifty is an important number but not a perfect number. Five represents the Pentateuch of Saint Moses—the Torah/Law. The Law kills. Multiplied by the number 10—ten represents the Commandments; the Law kills; gives Fifty. Ten days since the Lord’s Ascension gives way to the 50th day after Pascha—the Resurrection…and the “12” were gathered together in Jerusalem per their Master’s order. Were Jesus’ Mother and the Magdalene also with the “12,” no doubt. Matthias was there, maybe Justus Barsabas as well…Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea…Lazarus? Prophecy was fulfilled that epic day and prophecy (God talking…the Word preached) is fulfilled this epic day!
The Word had Saint Joel predict that day in Jerusalem. The Lord poured out Spirit, “…the Comforter (Paraclete), which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my Name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” The Disciples had been called by Christ. They had been baptized by John. The Disciples had been made Christ’s Holy Apostles when He breathed on them the Holy Spirit in the upper room and gave them authority in His Name to be Christ for the people in Word and Sacrament. And now the Apostles act in accordance with Joel’s recorded word of The Son. To have The Spirit poured out upon all flesh was not to anoint every listener as a pastor or priest, but was to preach the Good News to every creature—thus pouring out Jesus’ Body and Blood, His Mercy and atoning absolution on all—through the words of the sermon of Petros and the other Apostles in The Office. And by the Euangelion, Good News, all of God’s children, His sons and daughters are given the faith in The Righteous One, to cling to Him, and to speak this good news to their friends and families. This vision is the vision of Saint John’s divine service, The Mass, in Revelation.
The Sun was turned to darkness—both the eclipse of Good Friday and the Father’s dark turning away from His Son; the Moon, the image of The Father in the Face of The Lamb of God hanging on the tree, was marred and scarred, and bloodied so horribly. But that great and terrible “Day of The Lord” came!
Hallelujah!
The Holy Spirit is neither dove nor flame of fire. The 3rd Person of The Trinity is God—Lord and Giver of Life, and He manifested Himself in such a way that the crowd would recognize and believe The Lord’s “12” were His Apostaloi—His “sent ones.” Peter and the others spoke in the languages of the people who had been gathered together. Luther’s explanation of the Credo’s 3rd Article is presaged: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him, but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, …even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth…” The whole church will be converted by The Spirit of Christ, the Word made flesh, whether in 3,000 person quickenings or in solitary + Baptisms, and individual catechesis.
As you go beyond the Epistle reading (v. 13) you can hear all of Saint Peter’s Pentecost homily. He performed no miracles or signs, He simply preach by the Power of the Paraclete, the Law and Gospel of Christ Crucified. He killed his out-door parish by the Law and then gave them The Mercy of Jesus’ forgiveness of sins. That crowd is who we were in our unbelief and who we are, still, in our daily trespasses. The Christ suffered and died not just for Caiaphas, Herod, Pilate, Paul, and that crowd, but for all of your sins against Him in thought, word, and deed, as well. Repent! Repent and believe!
The same Spirit, God the 3rd Person, Who poured down on the “12” that they might in turn rain Him down in Christ the Word on the ears and hearts of their hearers, is the Spirit Who after Jesus’ Baptism “drove” Him into the wilderness. The same Spirit Who was upon Christ, not just in the Jordan, but when Jesus came back from the 40 days in the desert to Nazareth, His home-town. The Spirit was on The Lord’s head and tongue as He went into the synagogue. The Disciples were with Him. And as was His custom He stood up to read…not to perform a miracle but to give the hearers the Word of The Lord. Jesus read from His servant Esaias “The Spirit of The Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor, He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” He closed the “book” and then sat down. When the crowd had their eyes and ears fastened upon Him he preached a succinct and short homily—“This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
The Spirit is here to teach you all things. The Spirit of The Lord filleth the world.
To this day, some churches in Sweden have a little figure of a dove hanging from the ceiling above the pulpit right over the head of the preacher. This is to serve as reminder to the pastor that he is not standing there to inspire the people or to entertain them. Rather he is to preach to them the Word of Jesus. Jesus says: “The Holy Spirit will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.” The dove also reminds the people that when they listen to the pastor, as when the 3,000 listened to Peter, they are also listening to God—to Jesus Himself.
You are loved by Jesus with Body given and Blood shed. You are loosed from all your sins and draped with His robes of son-ship in forgiveness and peace.
“This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears!”
In Nomine Patris, et Filii, + et Spiritus Sancti
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