Blowing in the Wind - A Homily for Pentecost 2020, Year A

The Preachin' Deacons bring you Pentecost! Links to the readings and the video are provided below, followed by the text to my contribution. I couldn't resist including a link to that great song as well!

Readings: Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7,12-13; John 20:19-23

Preaching Deacons on YouTube

Blowing in the Wind

          Anyone who’s climbed Saint Mary’s Hill knows that it’s pretty windy up there. Sometimes we’re welcomed to the hilltop by a refreshing, gentle breeze, like I was this morning. But more often than not, near gale-force winds propel us from our cars to the Church, as if to emphasize how important it is for us to be there on time. I love walking our vast, beautiful Church property, especially when it’s a little windy. It reminds me that the Holy Spirit is always with me, sometimes at my back compelling me forward, sometimes in my face, challenging me or holding me back, but always offering me solutions to my stickiest problems and inspiration to do something about them. You could say that I find those answers Blowing in the Wind.

          Scripture offers us many images for perhaps the most elusive person of the divine Trinity—the Holy Spirit. The Spirit descends like a dove and appears in tongues as of fire. The Spirit came in our first reading like a “strong, driving wind” and is given to the disciples in Christ’s peace-filled breath. Why so many images? Well, we humans need a lot of images to try to describe a mysterious, powerful force that plays so many important roles in our lives. The Spirit is our Comforter and our Advocate. The Spirit consoles us and inspires us. The Spirit gives us the courage, wisdom, and strength we need to tackle any challenge that this storm-tossed life may send us.

          I also think we have a lot of images for the Holy Spirit because the Spirit presents itself and speaks to each one of us in a unique way—precisely in the tone and tenor we need to hear at any given moment. Every one of us is called to play our part in building God’s Kingdom here on earth, and the Spirit persistently prompts us to contribute to that effort in our own unique ways. As our second reading tells us, our spiritual gifts and forms of service are wonderfully diverse, but it’s the same Spirit who guides each one of us to use those gifts in accordance with God’s plan. It’s our job, then, to pay attention to the movements of the Holy Spirit in our lives, to discern the Spirit’s message to us, and to act upon it to the best of our ability.

           Because the Spirit speaks to us individually as well as communally, it’s possible for us to have different Spirit-led responses to what may appear to be similar circumstances. For example, as we begin to return to church, work, and school, the Spirit will guide us, individually, on how and when to do that. For some, the Spirit may compel us to return as quickly as possible. For others, the Spirit may say, “Wait.” If we take the time to listen to the Spirit whispering to us in our well-informed consciences, we’ll come to the right answer, because the answer will come from the Spirit.

           Though we could well say it in any age, it seems like we need the Holy Spirit now more than ever. Tensions are high in our country and in the world, with fear and social distancing weighing heavily on our very human need for community, and continued racial injustice tearing our community apart. Pentecost isn’t just a day to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and the creation of the Church. It’s an opportunity to renew the face of the earth by discerning the Holy Spirit’s movements in our lives and to acting on them. It’s a call to “drink from the one Spirit,” who unites us as a community that treats all people with the respect that their God-given dignity commands. It’s an invitation to appreciate God’s presence in a soft breeze upon your cheek or in the cool air that fans your throbbing temple, and to find the answers to our most difficult problems Blowing in the Wind.