READING:
Acts 2:1–21
 

Homily for Pentecost Sunday

“When We Are All Together”

I wonder what it feels like to wait with others when you don’t know what will happen next?

In the book The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien there is the moment when the Fellowship is formed in Rivendell. A group of very different people , hobbits, an elf, a dwarf, a wizard, a ranger , gather with a shared purpose, but not a clear plan. They don’t yet know what the journey will cost or where it will take them. They only know that they must go together. That scene captures something of Pentecost: not grand speeches, but a shared resolve, rooted in relationship and trust, waiting for what unfolds next.

So I wonder what it feels like to wait with other people, even when you’re scared or unsure? Or if you’ve ever been in a group where you didn’t know what to do, but you stayed together anyway. It can feel a bit like that if your train or plane has been rerouted and you and your unknown travelling companions have to find your way to the unfamiliar and unplanned new way of travel. Sticking together, and waiting for something to happen.

On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were all together in one place. That’s how it begins , not with certainty, not with strategy, not even with boldness. Just people gathered. Waiting. Unsure.

That sounds a lot like the church.

We often think of Pentecost as the day the church was born with fire and glory. But maybe it started earlier ….in the quiet waiting, in the not-knowing, in the trust that God had not finished speaking.

Then: a sound like a mighty wind. Tongues like flame. And suddenly, the words they spoke were understood by everyone. Every nation under heaven heard the good news in their own language. And they asked the most honest question: “How can this be?”

It’s a good question. And not just for them.

The Spirit Was There from the Start

Some traditions teach that the Holy Spirit only arrived at Pentecost : that the Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son to empower the church for mission, prophecy, and bold action. And yes, this moment is a turning point ….the Spirit comes with power, not just to individuals, but to a gathered people.

But what if the Spirit was there all along?

In the beginning, the Spirit of God hovered over the deep. The same Spirit breathed life into creation. The same Spirit filled the prophets. Pentecost is not the Spirit’s birthday : it is a revelation. The veil is lifted. Suddenly, we see what was always true: God the Holy Spirit has never been absent.

One of the most helpful things Samuel Wells, vicar of St Martin’s in London , said recently is this: Jesus is like the brand guidelines for the Holy Spirit. If we want to know what the Spirit is doing in the world, we look at the life of Jesus. He is the pattern. The Spirit doesn’t bring a new message. The Spirit brings Jesus to life … and the life in us.

So Pentecost is not just about fire. It’s about focus.

Greater Works Than These?

In John 14, Jesus says something astonishing: “You will do greater works than these.” Not because we’re greater than Jesus , but because the Spirit now empowers us to continue his work in every place, every generation, every voice. The Spirit is the Paraclete, the Advocate: the one who walks beside us, who reminds us who Jesus is and makes him real in our lives. In our lives today and at this very moment.

And how does that look? Not always like miracles or spectacle.

Sometimes it looks like a church waiting together in uncertainty.

Sometimes it looks like people speaking plainly : and being understood deeply. Speaking Truth to Power. Speaking up and boldly saying that bombing and starving children is wrong.

Sometimes it looks like a community that says: Come, whoever you are, and hear this in your own language. You are welcome here. We not only include everyone but accept everyone.

A Story for Today’s Church

In Genesis 11 there is a story in the bible which we often call “ the tower of Bable” when humans try to build a tower to reach God …. and they failed and they are scattered, their languages confused. At Pentecost, it is God who comes down to us. It is God who takes the initiative. And suddenly, difference in language, culture or creed is no longer a curse but something beautifulexpressing all that God has made.

This is good news for the Church of England at this moment in our history , and for every church navigating the tensions of diversity. Pentecost says: You don’t have to be the same to belong. You just need to be open to the same Spirit. Breaking bread together and remembering Christ whose very body was broken for each one of us to become whole, individually and collectively.

A Final Wondering

So I wonder…

• What if the Spirit doesn’t only work in fire, but also in quiet waiting?
• What if the miracle of Pentecost isn’t the speech… the diversity of languages , but of the people understanding and listening deeply ?
• What if your life , your words, your acts of love, your faithful waiting , are how someone else hears the gospel in their own language?

Let’s be that kind of church.

Not loud for its own sake.

But gathered. Listening. Ready.

Because God still comes. And the Spirit still speaks.