Day of Pentecost, Yr B (2024) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Pentecost, Yr B (2024) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Ezekiel 37:1-14 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Acts 2:1-21
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
In the name of the one, holy, and living God:
who was, and is, and is to come. Amen.
As I was making choices from among the readings for today’s service,
the reading from Ezekiel struck a chord within me.
We just read this passage at the Easter Vigil,
yet when I read about the valley of dry bones a couple of weeks ago,
a slew of images immediately popped into my head.
I saw the image of the crumpled Baltimore Key Bridge
atop the massive cargo ship, the Dali,
with containers precariously poised on edge,
awaiting the removal of the ribcage of steel above,
as the bodies of six workers lay under the water.
I saw the barren wasteland of Gaza,
with bombed-out shells of houses and hospitals
and expanses of white sheets covering bodies.
I saw my mother sitting on the floor,
having slipped on the edge of the rug,
fracturing her pelvis in two places.
So, as I read them, these words from Ezekiel rang out afresh:
“Mortal,
can these bones live?”
“O Lord God,
you know.”
O Lord God, you know.
Today we celebrate the day of Pentecost…
the Day when the Holy Spirit whirls in
and does a new thing…
sometimes bringing consolation
and sometimes bringing disruption.
In the Book of Acts, we hear that the disciples are all gathered together once again…
perhaps locked away in that upper room where they have gathered for solace
so many times since Jesus’ death.
And then a remarkable thing happens:
the wind begins to howl,
the earth shakes beneath their feet,
tongues of fire come down upon each one of them,
and they begin to speak in foreign languages!
It was certainly an event that everyone would remember for generations to come!
I would wager that when we think of celebrating Pentecost, this is what comes to mind.
Pentecost was an event that occurred long ago…
an event we remember only because we read the story every year,
not because we were an active participant in the event itself.
So, this morning I want to bring this event forward and ask:
“When does Pentecost occur in our lives?”
What does it look like?
What does it feel like?
Whenever we pray, “Come, Holy Spirit, come” do we really mean it?
Do we know what we’re asking?
It seems that throughout our stories in Scripture the Spirit shows up in two capacities:
one brings consolation…
the other brings disruption.
At times, both seem to occur together.
Ezekiel finds himself in the middle of a valley of dry bones.
“Can these bones live?”
is the question.
In the midst of what seems to be a hopeless situation,
can new life be brought forth?
Can these bones live?
What hope is there in these seemingly desolate days…
whether internationally, nationally, locally, or even within our own bodies?
Can these bones live?
Ezekiel found himself in the midst of desolation, yet the spirit of the Lord said to him:
“Prophesy to these bones:
O dry bones,
hear the word of the Lord…
I will cause breath to enter you,
and you shall live.
“And suddenly there was a noise,
a rattling,
and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
“I looked, and there were sinews on them,
and flesh had come upon them,
and skin had covered them…
and the breath came into them, and they lived,
and stood on their feet,
a vast multitude.” (Ezekiel 37:3-10)
Sounds to me like Pentecost:
the power of God…
bringing Life in the midst of fear and death.
So, I ask again: when does Pentecost occur in our lives?
When we pray,
“Come, Holy Spirit, come”
what is it that we seek?
After the disciples experienced their awesome,
bone-rattling,
Spirit-enlivening encounter,
they were sent out into the world to preach and teach and baptize,
even to the ends of the earth.
And, as we well know, their lives were not easy.
Most of them ended up martyred.
David Lose, Lutheran preacher and pastor, reflects:
“The Spirit doesn’t solve our problems,
but invites us to see possibilities we would not have seen otherwise.
“Rather than remove our fear,
the Spirit grants us courage to move forward.
“Rather than promise safety,
the Spirit promises God’s presence.
“Rather than remove us from a turbulent world,
or even settle the turbulence,
the Spirit enables us to keep our footing amid the tremors.
“Keep in mind that after the Spirit is given to Jesus at his Baptism,
it immediately drives him into the wilderness.
The [very] same Spirit!”
(http://www.davidlose.net/2018/05/pentecost-b-2018-pentecost-possiblities/)
Disruption
and consolation.
Consolation
and disruption.
Sometimes the Spirit comes to disrupt our lives…
to disrupt our complacency,
so that we go out and confront the forces of destruction in our world.
The Spirit invites us to see new possibilities,
grants us courage in the face of fear,
and keeps our footing sure.
This is indeed Good News
and news we need to hear in these days!
So, where does Pentecost occur in our lives?
Most likely not in events such as the disciples experienced that day…
more likely in more subtle ways that we may miss if we don’t pay attention.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed,
but we are a small congregation!
Typically, about 40 of us gather together each Sunday.
And yet…
during the school year, we provide meals to 70 hungry children every weekend…
every month we prepare and serve food at the Community Kitchen…
about four times a year we cook and serve folks at Pathways…
the Daughters of the King pray daily a prayer list that is 4 pages long…
through my discretionary fund we help folks with rent and utilities…
through a recent $10,000 gift we are giving scholarships to mothers to help with expenses incurred while getting an education…
we help defray costs for our children and young adults for college and camps...
Holy Smoke provides support for our outreach ministries…
we are building lending libraries for local adults and children.
You know all these things,
but I just want to point out that,
I believe, these are Pentecost moments…
moments when the Spirit leads folks to participate
and then guides our conversations to breathe life into dry bones,
whether ours or those of our neighbors in the community.
This season of Pentecost is a season in which we are invited to pay attention to where the Spirit is moving in our midst.
In what ways is the Spirit calling us?
Perhaps we need a bit of disruption.
Perhaps we need a bit of consolation.
Perhaps we need a bit of both.
With the help of the Spirit, things that seem impossible just might take place!
Perhaps with the help of the Spirit, we may be able to see possibilities,
where others see only problems.
Perhaps with the help of the Spirit, we may receive courage and strength and energy to love as God loves:
seeking and serving Christ in all persons…
striving for justice and peace among all people…
respecting the dignity of every human being….
And it just may be that we will begin to hear a noise…
a howling wind,
a rattling of bones,
the shaking of the earth beneath us…
and the holy fire of God descending upon us
to breathe love into this world.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
Amen.
