A dialogue Pentecost sermon by Karen Nell Smith and Debbie Clark
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘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. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Acts 2:1-21
Introduction
On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit blew through a group of frightened, anxious, uncertain people. There were many gathered on that day, the disciples, the women and others who had followed Jesus, and Jesus’ family among them. These faithful followers were waiting for something very special to happen to them, and perhaps not quite sure what they were waiting for.
Then a rush of a great wind blew through the room; the Holy Spirit came blowing through their lives. They were so inspired, so ignited with passion, it was as if tongues of fire burned above their heads and flames filled their hearts. They felt the power of God inside of them, and they rushed out into the streets, speaking in different languages, they were so moved by the Spirit to share the good news that had transformed their lives.
Just like Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones, the breath of God, the Spirit, can do that! It can transform a group of frightened, anxious, uncertain people, people who feel a useless as a pile of dry bones, into a creative, committed, courageous community ready to step out and carry on as faithful followers of Jesus Christ.
In the coming month, we’ll explore that Spirit of Courage that first blew through the room, ignited the hearts of Christ followers at Pentecost, and has been inspiring and moving us ever since. Today, we begin with some of the people that were in that very first gathering…James, the brother of Jesus; Thomas, the one who doubted; and Mary Magdalene, the first one to see the risen Christ.
What happened to each of them after that first Pentecost? How did the Spirit inspire them and give them the courage they needed. Where did it lead them, and what can we learn from them? Some things we find in the book of Acts. Some are documented in history and legends. Others we can only imagine…so let’s begin!
James, the brother of Jesus
It was Jesus’ family members that lead the first church in Jerusalem after that first Pentecost. The book of Acts tells us that the “mother church,” was there. Jesus’ brother, James, was its leader.
Sometimes called James, the Righteous, or James, the Just, he was devout, law-abiding man, what we might call a pious “orthodox” Jew today. In the Jerusalem community, he was very highly respected, not only among the followers of Christ, but among the whole religious community.
A second century historian wrote this about him, “He drank neither wine nor strong drink, ate no flesh, never shaved or anointed himself with ointment or bathed. He alone had the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies, since indeed he did not use woolen vestments but linen and went alone into the temple and prayed in behalf of the people, insomuch that his knees were reputed to have acquired the hardness of camels’ knees.”
James was utterly devoted to caring for the poor. This we can see in the New Testament Letter of James, said to be a collection of his sermons.
Acts tells us that James and Paul did not see eye-to-eye. (I think that might be an understatement, actually.) James never imagined creating a new religion. He was a pious Jew, and believed his brother, Jesus, was the Messiah. He struggled with accepting gentile converts, and he and Paul fought bitterly over their differences in how that should play out.
Imagine you are James. You loved your brother, and having known him all your life, you believe in him. You’ve seen his miracles, you heard his preaching, you walked with him throughout Galilee. You saw him on the cross, you saw the empty tomb, and he came to you, the resurrected Christ. Now his message is in your hands…and you take it very, very seriously. But this “Jesus movement” is exploding and the crazy man, Paul, a former Pharisee and a fiery convert for that matter, not even being present at all these events, is running around suggesting something very different from your experience of Jesus—your understanding of his message, your experience of the way he led his life, how he called people again and again back to the Torah, to righteousness, to serve the poor and follow God’s commandments.
This was James. The Just, the Righteous, the brother of Jesus.
In the decades after Pentecost, oppressed by the Romans, starved by drought and famine, and railing against corruption within the religious priestly leadership, a revolution among the Jewish people was building. James was a strong voice in the community, courageously speaking out against the rich taking advantage of the poor. He was arrested, accused of blasphemy and sentenced to be stoned to death, although legend has it that he was thrown from a temple parapet.
There was an overwhelming reaction to his execution, not just from Christian Jews, but from the whole Jewish community. Could this have been what finally incited the Jewish revolt which led to the Roman destruction of the temple. By the year 70, Jerusalem was destroyed, the Jewish Christian community of the city with it.
How does the Holy Spirit move you to work for justice? When do you feel the heat of its presence compelling you to stand up, speak out, stretch out your hand to serve others? How might you leave worship on this day more courageous, more committed, to a just and fair world?
The Spirit Transforms Doubt—from Doubting Thomas to Mar Thoma
On Brook Street in Framingham, in the building that used to be St. Jeremiah’s, there is a church called St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. It is a vital, active church that identifies its mission as “to know and live the identity and heritage of Syro-Malabar church rooted in the faith transmitted by St.Thomas the Apostle, our heavenly Patron.” Most of its members originally came from the state of Kerala on the southwestern coast of India. They understand their church to be one of the direct descendants of Nazraani Margam, the community of followers of the Way founded by the apostle Thomas, known there as Mar Thoma, or St. Thomas. Thomas is believed to have traveled in 52 AD, less than two decades after the crucifixion of Jesus, to what was then called the Malabar coast to proclaim the good news of Jesus.
There’s significant historical evidence to support this tradition. There was active trade between the Middle East and the Malabar coast in the centuries before Jesus; there may have been an active Jewish community there at the time. It would have made sense for one of the apostles to go there.
But Thomas? The one we call Doubting Thomas? How did he go from doubting that Jesus was resurrected to being willing to risk a treacherous journey to an unknown land to proclaim that Jesus lived? What happened to him? It must have been the work of the Holy Spirit. Maybe it was the dramatic wind and fire of Pentecost that changed him. Or maybe it was the slow gentle breath and warmth of the Spirit that transformed him over time.
I found myself thinking more this week about what it might have meant for the Spirit to transform Thomas into the courageous apostle he became. Did the Spirit turn his doubt into certainty? I hope not; in our world today, we know that one of the most dangerous things is when someone is certain they are right.
No, the Spirit did not transform Thomas’ doubt into certainty. I imagine that the Spirit of God would have recognized the gift hidden inside Thomas’ doubt.
The danger of doubt is that it can paralyze us, especially if we are afraid of making mistakes. Fear of being wrong can become like a coating of ice surround our doubt, freezing us into inaction. Maybe the fire of the Spirit, over time, melted the ice around Thomas’ doubt. Maybe the Spirit’s warmth transformed Thomas’ doubt into curiosity, opening him to learn a new language in a strange land, inspiring him to listen deeply to the Malayalam people he encountered. Maybe the Spirit transformed Thomas’ doubt into a deep understanding of our human vulnerability and our need for each other. Freed from the icy fear of making mistakes, Thomas found the courage to risk sharing the truth as he experienced it, trusting that he would learn as much as he taught.
How might the Holy Spirit move in your life to transform your doubt? Can you open yourself to the warmth that can melt your fear of making mistakes? Can you look into the center of your doubt to discover your curiosity, your capacity to listen deeply? Can you allow the Spirit to give you courage to act on your deepened understanding of the challenges and joys of being human?
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene…from Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Perhaps she become a follower of Jesus when he taught there early in his ministry. The Gospel of Luke tells us that he cured her of seven demons, and she became one of his earliest and most devoted followers. We see her devotion, strength, and leadership in tremendous acts of courage at the foot of the cross and at the empty tomb.
As the first to see and share the news of the risen Christ, some have called her the first apostle. So, she must have been present at that first Pentecost. But the Book of Acts never mentions her, nor does Paul in his letters.
It feels to me like the real Mary Magdalene is a woman who has been written out of the Bible. Yet, hers is a powerful story of Jesus’ radical message about God’s love, that we’re all loved unconditionally and equally. That vision of a community in which each is important and each is worthy. As Paul wrote, “neither male nor female, slave no free…,” a thought that stood the culture of the Roman Empire on its head. Emptying one’s self for the sake of another; the empowerment and freedom that comes from being loved unconditionally; a community created in this way ~ Mary Magdalene lived it. She was the embodiment of that inclusive, boundary- breaking love that characterized the early church.
Meggan Watterson, author of Mary Magdalene Revealed, has studied the Gospel of Mary and the gnostic gospels. In these texts, we see another perspective of the radical nature of Jesus’ message, the role Mary might have played, and the complexity of her position. She was a formidable character, a close companion or even partner, of Jesus, sharing teachings and visions. The gnostic gospels suggest friction between her and some of the disciples, Peter, in particular. They questioned the appropriateness of her position and her special relationship with Jesus.
It must have taken her courage to speak directly and forthrightly to her male counterparts in a pervasive culture that forbid such interactions. Perhaps this helps explain her disappearance from the Biblical accounts.
What became of Mary Magdalene after the first Pentecost? Where did the Holy Spirit send her? For centuries, the Western Church painted her as a sinner, a woman of ill repute, her role as one of Jesus’ beloved companions minimized. There are other legends, however…according to Eastern tradition, she accompanied John to Ephesus, where she died and was buried. Did they create a community there together?
A well-known French tradition claims that she evangelized Provence in southern France and lived there in mountain cave for thirty years. A local church still claims to have her skull and displays it to pilgrims. Did she spend the rest of her life serving others there?
Whatever direction the Spirit propelled Mary Magdalene after Pentecost, whatever she did, wherever she went, I can only imagine she had the courage to demonstrate, to live the radical love she knew in Christ. As someone who has experienced and lived that radical love, surely she would have shared it so that others could experience and live it, too.
Others, like you and me. Now, how do we, as the ones who have lived it, have experienced that radical love, do the same? How does the Holy Spirit move you to offer that radical experience of love to the world?
My friends, how does the Holy Spirit inspire you to work for justice? How might the Holy Spirit move in your life to transform your doubt? How does the Holy Spirit ignite you to offer the radical experience of love to the world? Pentecost poses these questions for each of us, putting flesh dry bones and sending us on the breath of the Spirit into our own lives and times. May it be so for all of us. Amen.
Sources:
Zealot; James the Just (Christian-bible.come/worhip/sermons/james.htm);
James the Just by J. Pagano, 10/23/11;
The Brother of Jesus and the lost teachings of Christianity, J. Butz.
https://www.biography.com/religious-figure/mary-magdalene
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Mary-Magdalene
Meggan Watterson – Mary Magdalene Revealed | Interview with Hay House UK M.D. Michelle Pilley, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffuogEmNnE8