Today we are celebrating the birthday of the Church, recalling how it “exploded” into Jerusalem fifty days after Jesus’ Resurrection, as the Holy Spirit came in power to the gathered disciples. What happened that day in Jerusalem? Clearly, Luke’s language is figurative:

…there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind…
Divided tongues, as of fire…

He is struggling to use ordinary language to describe an extraordinary event, as the church received the power from “on high,” promised by Jesus at the Ascension. The rest of the story reveals something of the nature of this power.

We do not see power in itself, but rather in its effects. The effect of the power that came to the church was seen in a miracle of communication, as people from throughout the known world heard the disciples speaking in their own languages. In other words, they understood what they were saying. The disciples were able to communicate the Good News about Christ to everyone who heard them.

And so began the story of the Church…

The Church is in the business of communication. We called to bear witness to the resurrection, to “proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ.”[1] The Holy Spirit has empowered us for this ministry, as it empowered the disciples in Jerusalem. The power does not necessarily come in the way the disciples were empowered on that birthday of the Church, but in many and varied ways that contribute to the building up of God’s people.

The gifts that are required before all others are gifts relating to communication. We heard in Genesis how God “scattered” the people, confusing their languages, so that they might not aspire to be like God. The Pentecost event reverses Babel, bringing people together in a miracle of communication.

The history of the church is full of stories of miraculous communication—of how people “heard” the Gospel, sometimes even through words. (As Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”) Conversely, there are also stories of miscommunication and the distortion or neglect of the good news. As if has been said, “We have turned the Good News into good advice.”

Worse, the Church has at times used inappropriate means to evangelize, becoming “bad news.” The Crusades may be the most glaring example of that, but all too often, we don’t have to look much farther than our own backyard to find people communicating in “bad news” ways. I have seen churches torn apart by gossip, backbiting, and anonymous complaints. A church that has become bad news in this way cannot legitimately claim to be proclaiming the Good News.[2]

St. Matthew’s vestry has recently established a working group on pastoral care, which has been meeting for the past two months. The first written communication from this team will be included in the summer newsletter, available next Sunday. It will focus on the importance of good interpersonal communications within the congregation, because we believe that this is the fundamental building block of a spirit-empowered community—the Body of Christ.

The miracle of Pentecost can continue in our midst, if we continue to seek the Spirit’s empowerment in the building up of God’s people.

The miracle of Pentecost continues every time two people meet in the name of Christ, speaking the truth-in-love, and seeking to hear what God is saying through each other.

Let us then pray for the power truly to hear each other, led by the Holy Spirit into the truth, and into the peace that Jesus left us, that only he can bring.

The power of Pentecost continues.

Thanks be to God