Pentecost,
commonly called Whitsunday.
The
Collect.
|
O
|
GOD, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful
people, by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same
Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his
holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and
reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully
come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there
came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the
house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven
tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all
filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the
Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews,
devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised
abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every
man heard them speak in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and
marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak
Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were
born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in
Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10
Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and
strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear
them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. (Acts 2:1-11)
Our Collect today makes reference to the Holy Spirit as a Light and a Teacher.
It is the same Light and Teacher which Christ was to us in His earthly
ministry. It is the same because it is not in God’s nature to to present us
with contradictory teachings. All that the Holy spirit reveals to us is simply
that which Jesus Christ has also revealed so clearly in His Word. The ministry
of Christ was limited to the physical grounds of Judea, Samaria, Galilee and
the adjacent environs. However, Christ promised to send to us an encourager and
a Comforter to be with us always and to open our eyes to the deep mysteries of
God as revealed BY and IN His Word.
The Holy Ghost will not speak a new or different Gospel, but opens our hearts
and minds to the Gospel already preached – and lived – by our Lord Jesus
Christ. You will remember that Christ did not preach a Gospel message that
varied from that of His Father. When Philip inquired of Jesus to be shown the
Father, Jesus responded: 9 Have I been so
long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen
me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the
Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the
Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. (John 14:9-10)
Jesus did not bring an INDIVIDUAL message, but that message dictated by the
One, Triune God which includes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Now our Lord has sent to His people the Holy Spirit as a Comforter to open our
eyes in the teaching of all that those teachings of the Father which Christ
taught, and now which the Holy Ghost teaches. The Holy Ghost is the Compass and
Light of God for our hearts. The Holy Ghost does not speak of Himself, but of
all that Christ taught us. We have been promised a Presence of God to be always
with us.
One of the names of our Lord is Immanuel which means “God with us.” (Immanuel
in Isaiah 7:14) But in fulfillment of the promises and mighty works of
God, our Lord must have returned to the Father when His works of salvation were
completed. So He promised to send us another Comforter whose spiritual &
physical jurisdiction would know no geographical limits. That Comforter is the
Holy Ghost.
As we read the Word of God, our loving Teacher stands over our
shoulder to open the meaning and truth to us as a bright Light shedding its
beams upon our page. 25 These things
have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the
Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
(John 14:25-26) The Holy Ghost is One with Christ just as Christ is One with
the Father – and, in fact, all are One in Purpose, in Truth, in will, and in
works.
As I interviewed our pretty little Confirmand yesterday, Maria Bella
Rodriguez, I felt the Holy Spirit was with us and was reflected in the
sincerity and sweetness of her responses. Bella, in Spanish, means
beautiful. Well, Bella is beautiful not only in her features, but in her heart.
Whitsunday (Wit Sunday) is the seventh Sunday after Easter and
coincides with the Jewish Day of Pentecost. Pentecost followed fifty days after
Passover. As Christ is OUR Passover, we observe Wit-Sunday as our day of
Pentecost. Pentecost was the day of the giving of another Teach – the Law – to
Moses on Mt Sinai. So Wit-Sunday is for us the Day of the giving of another
Teacher to us which is the spirit of Love and Truth. 24 Wherefore
the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be
justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer
under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in
Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have
put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond
nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according
to the promise. (Gal 3:24-29)
So, are we no longer bound by the Commandments and Law of God? Certainly, we
are, but in a different sense. We are now bound by love to keep the
Commandments of God as written on our hearts and not on Tables of Stone.
It is the day of fulfillment of the promise of Christ to send us the
Comforter – the day of the Coming of the Holy Ghost in His eternal Presence
with to the people of God. As Christ suffered death by defeating the same, so
does the Holy Ghost bring the so that the Resurrection presence of Christ is
with us always in the presence of His Holy Spirit.
After the Crucifixion, Burial, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ,
there returned a feeling of forlorn loneliness in the hearts of the disciples.
They were deeply gratified by the merits of eternal life which Christ had made
available through His earthly works, but what now? He was no longer a constant
companion to them. God seemed, once again, far away.
As we read in the second chapter of the Book of Acts today, the
disciples were gathered expectantly in the Upper Room of the Lord’s Supper
awaiting the fulfillment of a Mystery and a Promise made known to them by
Jesus.
Whatever they expected could not be explained, but they knew now that
whatsoever Christ ever said, there was deep and abiding truth in it for them.
If someone had asked, “For what purpose do you wait here this day?”
they would not have reason to give except that the Lord has told us to await
this day. When they had gathered for the Last Supper with Jesus, there was a
calm serenity that pervaded the room, but today, there was even a touch of
disorderly confusion. There were men there from all over the known world. They
had come to know of Christ and were, too, His disciples. But they all spoke in
different languages that caused the gathering to appear almost chaotic as each
chatted to his fellow countryman in a language which most others could not
understand. So there was a continual buzz of confusion. Yet, they waited. And
when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place.
-
It should be noted that, in
spite of the language barrier, all were gathered in One Accord. Their minds
were at One with Christ, and therefore with each other. Though they were
confused by a lack of understanding of each other’s language, yet they agreed
in truth. The Holy Spirit of God will not abide division. When the Church does
not await and listen for the Voice of the Holy Spirit, He will not come. He
waits without.
Suddenly, as they waited, there came a strange and peculiar sound from
Heaven. It sounded very much like a mighty Wind – and it was! It was the Wind
of God in the form of the Holy Ghost. The coming of the Holy ghost was not in
any sense partial or piecemeal – it filled the entire Upper Room. And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting. It should also be
noted that when God is working, men are at rest. These men were seated awaiting
the Bread and Manna of Heaven just as the 5,000 seated on the mountain slope
overlooking the Galilean Sea when Christ miraculous fed them an abundance from
a pittance of provision.
There may have even been some dismay and fearful expectation as the
Holy Ghost descended. When Christ walks by our side on our Road to Emmaus, we
often do not recognize Him. We may even be fearful of His presence as was the
disciples that stormy night on the Sea when they saw Christ walking on the
waters.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. These cloven tongues were not actual fire,
but appeared like fire over their heads. It was an intense and beautiful
moment. Their hearts could no longer sit in silence, and they overflowed with
the love of God and His truth. The experience was profound and defied
description.
What was the result of this sudden outburst of the Holy Ghost?
Herein lies the miracle of tongues as expressed on the Day of
Pentecost: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Not
only did all speak in other tongues, but, miraculously, they could ALL
understand each other. At first, these men were confused at a lack of
understanding. Now, they are confused at the miraculous GIFT of understanding.
It was the reverse of confusion and misunderstanding that occurred at
the Tower of Babel. These men were not ‘babbling’ (derivative term from the
name Babel) but were speaking in a language that ALL understood in his own
tongue. This was an Apostolic gift that was given for the benefit of the early
church and the broad propagation of the Gospel over the known world. Would we
not immediately recognize such an experience to be a miracle in our own times?
Any lost sinner can stand up and utter ridiculous babblings among the
congregation, but how can you say ‘AMEN’ to that which has no meaning? God is
not the Author of confusion: For God is not the author of confusion, but
of peace, as in all churches of the saints. (1 Cor 14:33)
5 And
there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under
heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came
together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his
own language. Now
this is evidence of the miraculous power of God, is it not? If someone stands
speaking in a babbling tongue that no one understands, where is the proof of
the miraculous power of God?
Paul tells us: O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy
trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely
so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be
with thee. Amen. (1 Tim 6:20-21) and later, he says: Study to
shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings:
for they will increase unto more ungodliness (2 Tim 2:15-16) Friends,
despite the yeoman efforts some false professor make to deceive us on tongues,
nothing could be clearer in God’s Word than this admonition against confusion.
Please
observe how wonderfully was this legitimate employment of the miracle of
tongues received by the believers: Study to shew thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto
more ungodliness (2 Tim 2:15-16)
I once read from the memoirs of the martyred John Stam who was beheaded by the
Chinese Communist for his faith and preaching of Christ: A minister of some
renown was invited to speak at the Chinese church. He was on his first visit to
China and knew not a single word of Chinese language. When he arose, he began
speaking in so-called tongues. It did not seem like any language at all to the
listener, but only confused their understanding. Suddenly, an old Chinese elder
of the church arose and stormed out of the church. One of Stam’s co-workers
chased out after the faithful old elder to determine his angst. The old
chinaman responded, “That man was cursing God in the Chinese language.”
Let me encourage every one of us here today to adhere to the known and revealed
truth of God as attested by the Holy Ghost. He will not add to God’s Word, or
detract therefrom, but will open up to our hearts and souls the mysteries
revealed in the Word of all that Jesus taught us.
