Puttinhg Skin On Our Bones

Pentecost, Year B; Ezk 37:1-14; Acts 2:1-21; Jn 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

St. Paul’s Smithfield, NC 5/24/2015, Jim Melnyk

“Putting Skin On Our Bones!”

The Holy Spirit – the Comforter – the Advocate – the Spirit of Truth – whichever name we use – the Holy Spirit often gets short shrift in the Episcopal Church – pushed to the back of the stories – talked about in hushed tones.  Perhaps it’s so we don’t come across sounding too much like one of those Pentecostal Churches where they wave their arms in the air and speak in tongues and such.  After all, we are Episcopalians – we are therefore proper folk.  We don’t dance in the aisles – well, hardly ever.  We find it hard to clap our hands and bop with the music, no matter how much it makes us want to do so.  And we never – never – eat meat with our salad forks!       

But today – today the Holy Spirit takes center stage in our liturgies throughout Christendom, and it is “right, and a good and joyful thing” for us to do!  And while the Holy Spirit unleashed in our lives might lead us – hopefully leads us – to step outside our comfort zones from time to time – we acknowledge this day that God’s Spirit is the glue that holds not only our own lives, but the whole of creation together.

Methodist Pastor Jason Byassee writes, “Without the Spirit, all is chaos, unformed, empty (Genesis 1).  But the Lord sends forth the Spirit and all things are created, [and, as the Psalmist proclaims,] God renews the face of the [earth].  Jesus says we [should] want him to go away, so the Advocate can come, the Spirit, who leads us into all truth (John 15-16). Before the coming of the Spirit, the disciples are a huddled-up band of betrayers and deniers. With the Spirit they go into all the world, baptizing, teaching, meeting violent deaths. Without the Spirit, all peoples are divided, unrelated. With the Spirit we are one body, [older and young, women and men,] dreaming dreams together” (Sojourners online, Preaching the Word, 5/24/2015).

It is the Spirit or Breath of God that is breathed into the first lumps of clay – the first scoops of dust – animating and bringing life to that which is created in God’s own image.  It is the Breath of God – or the Wind of God – which separates the waters of the sea and allows God’s people to continue their journey of freedom from Pharaoh’s oppressive yoke.  It is the Spirit of God which fills the prophets and places God’s word upon their tongues, and it’s the Spirit of God who enfolds the young woman, Mary, as God puts on human flesh – takes on skin and bones – to dwell among us and lead us into new life.

In essence, Pentecost challenges us to put our skin in the game – to step forward and claim our faith, knowing that God’s Holy Spirit within us guides, directs, and empowers us to take the risk of being faithful witnesses of the Gospel.  We see this clearly in our lesson from Ezekiel – where God steps onto the scene in the midst of Israel’s absolute brokenness – in the midst of exile and loss – “turning dry bones into living, skin-on creatures – Israel restored…. The Spirit is world-creating, renewing, restoring, [and always] making all things new” (ibid).  God has a renewed vision for us – a renewed vision for the face of the earth – and we are invited to participate in the fullness of that vision.

Over the past couple of weeks we’ve talked some about the incredible understanding of the friendship of God – about how we are called into a relationship of mutuality – what theologian Bob Hughes calls “a rough equality” with God – a relationship made possible solely through God’s own choosing.  Perhaps another image might be a junior partnership on our part.  We are invited by God to participate in God’s revisioning of creation – not as servants or slaves – not as pawns in some great cosmic chess game – but as people created in God’s own image and called from the very first days in the garden to share in the creative processes of this world.    

That friendship with God, proclaimed and acted out by Jesus in the upper room before his death, comes to fruition with the gift of the Holy Spirit – given later in that same upper room according to John, and at what we have come to call the Feast of Pentecost according to Luke.  It is a friendship that comes to fruition with a call – to once again recognize ourselves as God’s own beloved – and with a charge – being sent out into the world to proclaim the Good News of God’s saving love for this world.

The gift of Holy Spirit to the followers of Jesus tears down the locked doors of the upper room and drives them out to places they never imagined going – leads them into lives they never envisioned living – sharing a hope and promise that at one time in their lives they could barely dream possible – all of it at once both terrifying and terribly alluring.  God calling God’s people to not only bear God’s image upon our brows and in our hearts – but also challenging us – driving us – pushing us – to live that image as faithful followers of Christ.

Pentecost is the promise of God to put skin on our bones, breathe life into our lungs, and light a fire in our bellies, in our eyes, and in our hearts.  Pentecost says to those in exile, “Come home!” Pentecost says to those in power, “Let Go!” Pentecost says to those whose eyes have been blinkered or blinded, “Be opened,” and to those who have been silenced, “Speak out!”  Pentecost says to the broken-hearted, “You are beloved” and to the broken, “I will heal you.”  Pentecost says to those who are anxious, “Peace!” and to those who are complacent, “Get up and get moving!” 

Pentecost is a feast of action!  Christmas may cause our hearts to pause and adore – and Easter stops us in mid-stride and fills us with awe.  But Pentecost – Pentecost demands that we live like people whose hair is on fire!  Pentecost says to us, “Don’t just stand there, get moving – do something!”  Pentecost is the Dream of God made alive in our hearts as the Holy Spirit enfolds us and fills us with the very Breath of God!

Bishop Curry loves to quote his grandmother who once told him, “If you’re breathing, God is calling.”  If you’re breathing – if we are breathing – it’s because God has put that very breath in our lungs.  And if we’re breathing, then God is calling us to work – God is calling us to ministry in this place, St. Paul’s – in Smithfield – in the surrounding communities many of us call home – and well beyond those boundaries.

The gift of Holy Spirit to each of us as followers of Jesus wants to bust down the red doors of this place and drive us out to places we have never imagined going – lead us into lives we may never have envisioned living – sharing a hope and promise that at one time in our lives we could barely dream possible – and all of it may be at once both terrifying and terribly alluring.  But that’s what Pentecost is all about – the dream of God – the hope of God – catching fire in our hearts and filling us with desire to share God’s dream.  And perhaps that’s why so many Christians shy away from getting too caught up in talking about the Holy Spirit.

In a few moments we will join with Christians across the globe in renewing our baptismal covenant.  It is a reminder of that point in time when we were each sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever. 

We will renew our commitment to gather together regularly for instruction, fellowship, and meeting Christ in the holy sacrament of bread and wine.  We will renew our commitment to live a life of grace – loving one another and our neighbor, and seeking God’s love and forgiveness when we fail.  And we will promise once again to “get up and do something” as we seek to live into the dream God has not just for us – a few chosen people gathered out of a world of so many – but God’s dream for all of creation.

God has put skin on our bones and breath in our lungs.  God has written God’s name upon our brows and placed the fire of Holy Spirit in our hearts.  We just need to get up and do something about it!