Homily for the Feast of Pentecost
The Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta
4 June 2006
The Rev. Canon Todd D. Smelser, Preacher
Father, pour out your Spirit upon your people, and grant to us a new vision of your glory; a new faithfulness to your Word; a new consecration to your service; that your life may grow among us, and your kingdom come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Have you ever had the experience in which you were called to do something that you really didn’t think you could do? I was watching the final results of the Spelling Bee on Thursday evening, and was amazed at the ability of those 13 and 14 year old students, in the face of cameras and national exposure, to reach deep inside to spell words that I had never ever heard of, and couldn’t imagine spelling. Most of them seemed so cool and poised, and I wondered what special gift God had given them to perform in this way.
There have been many times in my own ministry that I have been called to do things that I felt I didn’t have either the experience or ability to perform. Sitting across my desk from a distraught parent with a rebellious child; standing at bedside in the hospital of someone who had just been given a bad diagnosis; reading scripture texts for the following Sunday when I am to preach and not having a clue about what direction to take-----these have all been experiences for me in which I realized that the Holy Spirit does make it possible for people to do things that they could not do on their own.
In the Book of Acts, the Spirit empowers the disciples to speak in languages they had never learned and gives them a boldness to do so publicly. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, the Spirit helps believers pray in ways that they could not pray on their own. And in John’s Gospel, Jesus says the Spirit will guide the disciples into all truth—truth that they “could not bear” without the Spirit’s help. The Holy Spirit will reveal things to the disciples they could not discern on their own, and then give them the strength to live that truth accordingly.
Today is the Feast of Pentecost, the Church’s Birthday, when we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Church. It is a day when we celebrate the Church’s initiation rite of Holy Baptism this morning, and when, this afternoon, the Bishop will confirm persons, praying that God will strengthen these baptized persons with the Holy Spirit, empowering them for service in the world.
Pentecost is also the opportunity to recognize that God has both knowledge and resources that we don’t have. In sharing them freely with us, God makes it possible for us to do what we cannot do alone. It also challenges us today to ask the question of what we are doing in our lives and in our churches that take us beyond what we could do in our own capacities.
Today many churches, like their corporate counterparts, talk much about leadership development, and the principles of leadership. Enron aside, corporate business practices are often viewed as models to emulate. In the business world, success comes from collecting data, analyzing it according to well thought-out formulas, and using it to execute winning strategies. Companies achieve their goals largely on the strength, intelligence and foresight of their leaders, which I guess explains why CEO’s make so much money! God does not need to show up for them to accomplish their plans and purposes.
Historically, however, the church has been different. Its leaders have been formed through diligently studying the scripture, through prayer, and in careful discernment of God’s will. And unlike corporate business practice, we get a very different picture of what God might have in mind for faithful Christian people.
Success, throughout Christian history, does not depend on a person’s brilliance, adherence to the latest best practices or the ability to master skillful strategies. It depends totally upon God, and our being empowered by the Holy Spirit. So often, in Holy Scripture, God chooses the weakest link, or the Galilean fisherman or even a young virgin named Mary, to bring about God’s plan. For the secret of success in God’s eyes in our radical reliance on God and our faithfulness in following God’s lead. As our own retired Bishop Bennett Sims wrote, “The first and foremost attribute of the servant church is its daring openness to the Spirit.” It is this “daring openness to the Spirit” that the Church makes room for the empowerment from on high, releasing the Holy Spirit in the community.
As we baptize two new Christians at this Eucharist, let us all be mindful of that prayer which I will soon pray over them.
“Heavenly Father, we thank you that by water and the Holy Spirit you have bestowed upon us your servants the forgiveness of sin, and have raised them to the new life of grace. Sustain us, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit. Give us an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. Amen
Comments? Contact The Rev. Todd Smelser: tsmelser@stphilipscathedral.org