It’s Pentecost.
Keep breathing.
Before we start. Even before you read any further. Let’s just take a nice, long, deep breath together. That’s right. Breathe. Breathe in the Spirit of God: God’s light and life and peace and love. Nice and slow, now. Good.
Now, let’s breatheout. Only this time, exhale —literally, “breath out” (ex + halare, from the Latin)—everything and, yes, even everyone-- that’s bothering you. Everyone and everything that makes you worried, frightened, angry, or confused.
Take your good old time with this. There’s no rush in heaven.
Now, do it all over again: breathe in again. And then breathe outsome more.
Does it feel any better? C’mon, even just a little bit better?
Admit it. It does help, doesn’t it. Doesn’t it?
When we do this consciously, conscientiously, we’re not just breathing, of course. We are starting to pray: we are actually and actively praying. With our body, our mind, our spirit. When we do this together in prayer, we are “conspiring”. (Again, another Latin reference: “con + spire”: cum + Spiritus”)—with our breath, with our spirit, we are “conspiring” with the Holy Spirit. We are entering into a conspirancy with the Spirit as we permit the Spirit to enter into us.
That’s what the first Pentecost was all about. That’s what Pentecost is about for us right now. Breathing in in the Spirit. And letting the Spirit breathe in us. And through us, breathing new life for our healing and the healing of our precious, broken world.
Today, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost at a particular place and at a particular moment in time. That’s history. Today we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit into our lives and our world. Right here, right now. That’s mystery.
Breathing in and breathing out— inhaling and exhaling in the Spirit-- we are celebrating both the history and mystery of Pentecost at the same time.
In the Scriptures today, we have two separate accounts of the history of Pentecost . They differ from one another in a number of details. But at the same time, we actually have one shared account of the spiritual truth and reality, the mystery of Pentecost.
First, the history. In the Acts of the Apostles (2:1-11) — actually, Volume II of the Gospel of Luke-- the followers of Jesus, (as described in the closing pages of Luke’s gospel (24:49), have been told to return to Jerusalem to wait to “be clothed with power from on high.” This takes place, according to Luke, 50 days after Passover, 50 days after the Resurrection of the Lord. A period during which Christ has appeared time and again to the disciples, breaking bread with them, teaching and encouraging them all along the way. Preparing them for his return to the Father and for his sending of the Spirit among them.
In the account from John’s Gospel (20:19-23) , however, the sending forth of the Spirit occurs on the evening of the day of the Resurrection (Easter evening). The disciples are gathered in the upper room—presumably the same place where the Last Supper had taken place just a few days beforehand. They are huddled together in mortal fear of being arrested, imprisoned, tortured and condemned by the authorities, just as Jesus had been. The mood is anything but one of excitement and anticipation. On the contrary, it is an atmosphere of dread and fear.
Then, the followers of Jesus receive the Spirit of Jesus. Jesus literally “breathes” on and into them. In Luke/Acts, it is that same Spirit, only this time, it comes as a terrific noise, followed in the form of tongues of fire. That’s the history.
The Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus changes their lives, once and for always.
In the mystery of Pentecost, people who were timid become emboldened. People who were frightened become confident. People who were reticent become emboldened proclaimers of the Good News of Jesus. People who were once dismissed and ignored now make a definite and lasting impression on all who encounter them. People who were obsessed with themselves and their own ego needs become obsessed with and possessed by the spirit of service and selfless giving.
God decided to give a gift. And for once, without questioning it, the disciples have accepted it. They take a deep breath and allow it to enter into the deepest part of themselves, body and soul. And it changes everything!
How did that happen? How does it continue to happen? Well, that’s the mystery.
What about you, what about me? Discouraged by the way your life is going? By the way that the world seems to be going? Feeling helpless, powerless, confused, and frustrated? Wishing someone would just come in and take charge and fix everything?
The Scriptures and our tradition give us an important option. To step back, take a deep breath, enter into prayer, ask God for help, and listen to and for the Spirit—together. It’s Pentecost: keep breathing!
Images. Graphic: St. John’s Uniting Church, Essendon, Australia. Icon: Orthodox Christian Network. Artwork: The descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles at Pentecost. c. Elizabeth Wang, radiantlight.org.uk.
