The biblical lessons during the Great 50 Days of
Easter have presented us with a series of dramatic encounters between the risen
Jesus and his not-quite-yet comprehending followers. Time and again, Jesus appears and walks with them,
or speaks with them, or gathers with them to eat. Yet they remain not quite ready to grasp, in
its fullness, that God had not been defeated on Golgotha-that the risen Christ
now proclaimed an ordinary hilltop used for death as sacred space for the tree
of life itself for all eternity.
The original twelve disciples have grown to ten
times that number, drawn from all the languages and nations of the Middle
East. But they remain a frightened,
bewildered multitude, reeling from witnessing Jesus' death and desperately
hoping to avoid their own. They're people like you and me, doing their best to
live faithfully, yet distracted by their fears, divided by their differences of
background and culture. Some of them have
been visited by the Risen Christ in their midst, and yet remain unable to
understand the sort of undefeatable love God has been showing them in the
dramas of Holy Week, Easter, and beyond.
Today's commemoration of Pentecost marks the
transformation of Jesus' original band of Galilean followers into the diverse
community of faith that we know as the Church.
Last week we remembered the Ascension of Jesus, leaving his followers,
yet leaving them with the promise that they will never be left alone. This is what Jesus is referring to when in today's
Gospel he says to his followers: "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 so Ascension Day leads to Pentecost -
promise to fulfillment.
Those gathered on that first Pentecost numbered
what we have here on a good Sunday. Each
still spoke in their distinctive languages, and yet all heard and understood
that day the same thing. In a debut of wind and fire, the breath of God's Spirit
arrives to forever connect the diversity of humanity in the world, and to throw
open the locked doors of our confining fears.
The Holy Spirit arrives full of strength pouring forth courage, so that
God's people could go out into the world in God's name with gladness and
boldness to tell their story of faith with hope.
In the first Pentecost Sermon in the history of
the church, Peter tells them that they're witnessing "what was spoken through the
prophet Joel," who wrote ‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams. ...In those days I will pour out my Spirit.'
Twenty-one centuries later, today on this day of
Pentecost and baptism, the Holy Spirit once again is hovering before us, above
us, behind us, inviting us to break out of whatever binds us from proclaiming
and claiming God's transformative power to change the world. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst
is always a Spirit of Truth. She comes
with the power of revelation, displaying us as we are, and showing us what God
still dreams and desires for us to become.
The Holy Spirit is the driving force of authentic discernment of the
callings not just of individuals, but communities of faith as well.
This past week, your Vestry and clergy had a first
hand experience of the Spirit at our monthly meeting together. On May 28th, the vestry of St.
Thomas' Parish passed four resolutions, each a response to the demands and
possibilities that have come with the spiritual and numerical growth of our
parish. Centered in prayer and with
careful deliberation, the Vestry voted to move forward with a building campaign
to build a new worship space for St. Thomas' Parish. In the presence of the Holy Spirit we dared
to dream dreams, and to imagine God's vision for this place not just for us--
but also for future generations who will come.
Read true stories of success and triumph from some of the countries where we work. You will receive new and featured stories from our partners in the field as they are published.
Elena is a food vendor in the community of Uros-Chulluni, Peru, where the only mode of transportation is by boat. The expense of renting a boat to sell her food limited both her business growth and mobility. Although Elena dreamed of owning her own boat, she had no collateral to secure one.
Through a micro-finance program supported by Episcopal Relief & Development, the Ecumenical Church Loan Fund and the Anglican Diocese of Peru, Elena and her neighbors formed a community bank. She was then able to obtain a small loan without traditional collateral, enabling her to buy her own boat.
Now Elena’s business has expanded to include not only the sale of food, but also handicrafts and candy. She’s thankful to Episcopal Relief & Development for showing her how to improve her income, continue her children’s education and strengthen her family.
Maria, her husband Juan and their five children knew the harmful effects of dirty, contaminated water in their village of Bijagua, Nicaragua. They used to bring the household water for cooking, bathing, drinking and washing in buckets from a stream 10 minutes away from their home — the same stream where cattle roamed.
The children were constantly sick with diarrhea, and getting the water each day was a real burden. “Our daughter spent so much time carrying water, she was falling behind in her school work. We always worried about her walking alone in the dark of the early mornings and evenings. There are poisonous snakes around here,” said Maria.
Episcopal Relief & Development partnered with El Porvenir, an organization that works in Nicaraguan communities to develop water, sanitation and re-forestation projects. The program also provided Maria and her community with education and training on properly maintaining the water system, water hygiene and protecting children and families from preventable, water-related diseases. Instances of water-borne illnesses were also tracked by local health monitors.
Now Bijagua has safe water and residents can stay healthy. “Our daughter is excelling in school now that she doesn’t have to carry buckets of water. And the children don’t have diarrhea anymore,” Maria stated.
