Christ promises the Spirit will lead us into all truth when we can bear it: let us pray that we say we’re always ready to bear whatever is needed for the life of the world.
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Day of Pentecost, year B
Texts: John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15; Acts 2:1-21, referencing vv. 41-47
Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
“I still have many things to say to you, but you can’t bear them now.
“When the Spirit of truth comes, she will guide you into all the truth.”
What hope this promise gives us for the life of the Church, the life of the world! Jesus knows there are so many more things those who trust in him need to know if they’re going to follow the way of Christ. So many more challenges, so many more questions.
So he says, “there’s a lot you can’t bear right now, but the Spirit will lead you into all the truth.” And this promise has been fulfilled over and over again.
With the guidance of the Spirit’s wisdom, Christ’s Church has changed.
In our own recent history, the Church finally declared definitively that no human being could enslave another, that all God’s children were precious in God’s sight. Just fifty years ago many in Christ’s Church restored women to any and all leadership positions in the Church. And more recently, many Christian churches have been led by the Spirit to not only welcome LGBTQ+ siblings but embrace and cherish them as God’s beloved children.
The Spirit moves and shapes and teaches things now that at one time the Church wasn’t ready to bear.
But were we really not ready? Or just unwilling?
Did the Church, shaped by the sacrificial love of God at the cross for all humanity, really need over 18 centuries to recognize all humanity as equal and beloved in God’s eyes, and finally forbid human slavery? There were Spirit-led voices throughout those centuries who called for this. But the whole Church just wasn’t ready until the 19th century?
Jesus and Paul raised up women as leaders in the community. Paul had women colleagues who were heads of faith communities. By the end of the first century, the Church backed away from that, and became deeply patriarchal. Did we really need another 1,800 years to reverse that sellout? And even now, those Christian churches who have women as leaders are definitely the minority. Does the vast majority of the Church still get to say they’re not ready to bear women leaders?
And did the Church of Christ’s radical love need 2,000 years to recognize their LGBTQ+ siblings as beloved children of God? Such children have been a part of God’s rich diversity for as long as humans have existed. We weren’t ready to bear that until now? And again, Christian churches who do embrace these siblings are the small minority.
If Christ’s promise is that the Spirit will teach us new things when we’re ready to bear them, and the Spirit clearly taught people for 2,000 years things only recently accepted by larger groups, then are we hiding behind the wall of “we’re not ready to bear such things?” Maybe we just don’t want to do them.
Because if you look at that first Pentecost, the early Church seemed ready to bear some amazing things right away.
People were filled with awe at the signs and wonders the believers did. The community was transformed: they each sold everything they owned and shared all their wealth in common. Everyone had what they needed. And they worshipped together daily in the temple, and shared meals with each other. And every day more and more became a part of the community. Can you imagine us living that way as this faith community?
So they were ready to bear such a communal life, and now, 2,000 years later we’re not?
The truth is, we can actually see the seeds of this in the book of Acts itself. This new way started falling apart. Disputes started to happen, some people didn’t get enough food, some hid away their money.
So even the early Church struggled with bearing what the Spirit taught. They grasped it at first with joy. But it became more and more a burden to keep up this new way.
Clearly humans easily say “we’re not ready,” when the truth is more that we don’t want to.
So, on this day of Pentecost, what is the Spirit trying to lead us into, to teach us, that we’re dragging our heels on? There are lots of things to consider, but we could start with how we live in this world as a community of faith.
There’s a group here working on how Mount Olive can better know our indigenous neighbors and walk alongside them. If you’re interested in helping shape that conversation, there’s room at that table. But what are we willing to bear? Would we consider reparations as a regular part of our budget? If the Spirit raises challenging paths, would we be open to her guidance? Or are we not ready at this time?
Nearly every day during the week neighbors of all God’s diversity come through our doors for help: African Americans, African immigrants, Native Americans, new neighbors from all the countries south of our border, and we offer help. If you’re able to help during the week as we engage with these neighbors, we’re always in need of hands. But what are we willing to bear beyond that? What might the Spirit be calling Mount Olive to be and do as a community in this city to bear Christ’s love with all these neighbors? Are we willing to hear the Spirit’s call, wisdom, teaching, if it leads to new challenges, financial, physical, social? Or will we say once again, “maybe we’re not ready yet.”
Jesus’ promise is not an excuse to avoid growing, changing, becoming Christ.
Our task at Mount Olive is to keep listening to the Spirit together and then talking with each other, discerning what paths might be opening up in lots of areas. Because the Spirit will be inviting us to serve in our life in this world. To learn new things. Face new challenges. Be transformed into what God needs us to be.
So let’s commit on this Day of Pentecost to seek conversations amongst ourselves as much as we possibly can and listen to the Spirit together. And let’s also commit to helping each other listen to where the Spirit might be calling us each individually to take a different path, to be shaped by the Spirit’s wisdom, because that’s part of Jesus’ promise, too.
Most of all, on this day of Pentecost, let us pray.
Let us pray that we are always ready for the next thing the Spirit needs us to hear and learn. Let’s even boldly pray that the Spirit ignore whether she thinks we can bear something or not. That she let us stumble or fall rather than hold back guidance because we’re afraid or unwilling. Let’s ask the Spirit to remove the words “we’re not ready for that,” and teach us to say with joy, “ready or not, here we come.”
In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
