The Gospel of John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
Jesus said to his disciples,” When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Acts 2:1-4: When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Let us Pray: Heavenly Father, We thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Guide us with Your Spirit, Fill our hearts with Your love, And lead us to live according to Your will. Amen.
Despite promises of the sending of the Spirit, in John’s gospel, after Jesus’ death, the Risen Lord does not find his disciples confidently waiting for him to come and breathe on them and give them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Instead, he finds them huddled together in a locked room for fear of their enemies). They aren’t behaving like a group of people who have been promised the Holy Spirit. With all that has occurred I think we might have been in the same mind as the disciples. They had experienced a lot in the last few days, and they were afraid they might be in danger. They were not only there for fear, but they had also not really heard whenever Jesus talked about sending the Spirit or the coming of the Spirit. All they heard was his leaving to go with God. And as soon as the disciples heard Jesus mention his leaving, they closed their ears and did not hear the details of who was coming to be present in his physical absence. The disciples were so concerned about their own future that they weren’t the least bit curious about Jesus’ immediate future. Jesus knew about their concern and encouraged them with a wonderful truth. The Holy Spirit would be far superior to Jesus because the Spirit could be everywhere at once, whereas Jesus could only be in one place at a time. The disciples and all future believers would always be in communion with God.
Have you ever been told unpleasant news and not really heard it. For us and the disciples, it is possible to see someone’s lips moving but to not listen to what they are actually saying because we are distracted by our own thoughts and ideas. We stop listening too soon and miss the good news and the joy of the message. That is why Jesus’ disciples in the synoptic gospels are surprised when the tomb is empty. They always stopped listening at “be killed” and missed hearing “and on the third day rise.” We keep their habit alive whenever we are focused so intently on the painful aspects of our current life condition that we forget we’ve been promised the Spirit, and don’t factor in its power and presence in our lives. The promise that the Holy Spirit is not only coming but is here. We have been promised that the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the presence of the Risen Jesus in his physical absence, is with us. That means that, when confronted with negatives, downsides, sacrifices, and bad news, we don’t have to assume that the Spirit has flown the coop. We don’t have to factor out the presence of the Holy Spirit. We do not even really have to invoke the Spirit. We have the promise that the Spirit now lives in us, and we now live in the Spirit. Remember the Holy Spirit will guide us. He will not control us. We keep our ability to choose to follow His leadership. We are always responsible for our words and actions. He will help us determine what is true and what is not, what is wise and what is foolish, what is best and what is simply okay. He will guide us through the details of everyday life. He will give us the discernment we need to make both big and small decisions.
When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven, there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. The love of God surrounds you. The strength of the Spirit is beside you. Beneath the noise of the wind and the brightness of the tongues of fire a silent miracle has taken place. Like the miracle of people of all ages and languages today, like a miracle we can learn to understand each other’s concerns and fears. It is time for all of us to experience a Pentecost for ourselves, and that the gift of the Holy Spirit be shared with all.
Let Us Pray: The Spirit of God unites us as a people and enables us to pray and intercede for the needs of others. As we go out into the world, we pray that this Pentecost may bring our world together with a renewed sense of unity with all peoples around the world. May we use the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given us to spread the good news and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we gather together in God’s love, we offer our prayers and thanksgiving to the Father for the sake of the Son and through the Holy Spirit. Amen
Reflections by Bob 