How
does one express the inexpressible? How does one explain how disciples that had
been fearful for their own lives were suddenly transformed into being bold witnesses for Jesus Christ? In order to express the inexpressible, often we have to use the skill of an artist to paint a portrait
of the event—a portrait that expresses the essences of the event—whether that portrait is painted with oils or
through a story.
For example,
in the movie, “Places in the Heart” starring Sally Fields, the film
director sought to express the inexpressible. During that film, much violence
and injustice had taken place. As a result, some of the characters in the movie
had lost their lives. Yet, the contributions of their lives had not been lost.
They had continued to live-on through in the lives of the living. The film director sought to express that assertion in the last scene of the movie. In that last scene, everyone is gathered in a little church celebrating the Lord’s Supper. As the camera pans the congregation, one realizes that participating in that worship service were both the
living, as well as those who were then a part of the Church Triumphant in Heaven.
In doing so, the film director had portrayed the inexpressible as an artist.
In a similar
manner, various writers throughout the scriptures have used imagery to express the inexpressible. Likewise, Dr. Luke in giving an account of the Pentecost event
used imagery to express the inexpressible. He wanted to express how these frightened
disciples could be transformed into men and women that were willing to live for their faith. He
therefore told a story. He began by telling how God revealed his power 7 weeks
after Jesus’ death and resurrection. The 11 disciples had gathered in the
home of one of the believers. They had gathered in that home early that morning,
in order to worship. They knew that because of what they had experienced in Jesus’
death and resurrection, they needed to support one other in their faith.
As the
11 disciples worshipped, they heard a noise was so loud that they could not ignore it. They were so startled by the intensity
of that noise—they lost control of themselves—their sensory systems
became so flooded with adrenaline—their minds and bodies began to struggle
to process the coming of God’s Holy Spirit into their midst. God’s
Spirit had come upon them in ways that they could not explain. The Holy Spirit
came upon them and filled them with God’s power. Divided tongues, as of
fire, appeared among them. A tongue rested upon each of them. God gave them the ability to communicate in the tongues of all humankind.
The scene
then shifted to outside. It was 9 a.m. in the morning. The crowd had not heard the sound like a violent wind. They
simply had heard the commotion within the house. “What does this mean,”
they asked. Some among them sneered that these men and women still were drunk
from partying the night before.
As we pause
to consider the portrait, we are compelled to ask: Just who were these people
that were in the crowd that day? The scriptures say that they were “devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.” The people that were there that day were immigrants not pilgrims—they had come
there to live from throughout the Roman world. These residents were celebrating
a harvest festival commemorating God’s giving of the Law, and in particular the 10 Commandments. Yet who were these immigrants that were in the crowd that day? Once again, we find Dr. Luke portraying the scene as an artist. For example, Dr. Luke tells us that the Medes were among the crowd—these Medes had ceased to exist
as a people for over 200 years! Further, the Elamites, that were there - the
same Elamites that had been mentioned in Ezekiel 2:7—the Elamites had vanished from history for over 500 years!
In using imagery, Dr. Luke was declaring that God’s Spirit blew not just
upon those devout Jews living in Jerusalem that day. Rather, it also blew upon
the living and the dead—the Medes, Persians, Elamites, Cappadocians, persons from Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya,
Cyrene, visitors from Rome including Jews and Gentiles. It blew upon the living and the dead!
To the
crowd’s sneers that they were drunk, Peter preached to them the first Christian sermon. He told them how Jesus fulfilled
God’s promise in the Old Testament scriptures. The Holy Spirit came upon
those who heard Peter preach that day. The disciples baptized 3000 persons that
day. That day the church grew from a few faithful believers to over 3000 persons.
That day we celebrate as the birthday of the church!
Further,
that day the church not only was given birth but likewise the faith community was broadened. Wulfert
deGreef (“Calvin as Commentator of the Psalms” in Calvin and the Bible, ed. Donald K. McKim, p 95) comments,
how John Calvin spoke of how God’s inclusion of the other nations in God’s plan of salvation did not imply that
God had ceased to love Israel. Instead, God’s love was broader that anyone could imagine.
God continued
to draw people into God’s family of faith. Because of Pentecost, the disciples
would carry the gospel to every corner of the world—and they would share the gospel in every tongue known to humankind
Through
the power of the Holy Spirit, Christianity came to our spiritual ancestors in Scotland. In 536 AD, St. Columba established the first monastery on the island of Iona off the Scottish coast. In time, a group of monks, called the “Culdees” (“Servants or Friends of God”) arrived in Scotland. They established an abbey on the eastern coast with St. Andrew (Peter’s
brother) as their patron saint. Neither St. Columba nor the “Culdees”
had any connection to the church at Rome. Their movement came to be referred
to the “Old Celtic Church,” which eventually established its headquarters at St. Andrews.
From the seaport of St. Andrews on the eastern coast, Presbyterians
began to sail to all parts of the world.
In time,
the Scottish Church began to decline under Margaret the wife of King Malcolm III, whose father had
been murdered by King Macbeth. The people yearned for a transformation of the
church. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the reformation of the church would
come in Patrick Hamilton who preached the Reformed faith. Because of his preaching,
he was burned at the stake on Feb
28, 1528. Then
came the preaching of George Wishart, who likewise was burned at the stake on March 1, 1546. One of George Wishart’s followers
was a fiery Scot named John Knox. When George Wishart would preach the Reformed
faith—John Knox would hold back the hostile crowds with his two-edged broadsword. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, and through John Knox’s leadership, the
Scottish Parliament adopted the reformed faith, and John Knox prepared the Scots Confession as the official confessional document of the Church of Scotland. That
confessional document is one of the confessions in our own Book of Confessions.
Through
the power of the Holy Spirit, Presbyterianism came to America through
the preaching of Francis Makemie, who has been called “the Father of American Presbyterianism.” Although he was only 25 years of age when he arrived in frontier America from Northern Ireland in 1683; Francis Makemie preached from New York to Georgia encouraging Presbyterians wherever he went. He faced not only the difficulties
of travel in that day, but once he was put into jail in New York for preaching Presbyterian
beliefs.
Through
the power of the Holy Spirit, on December 3, 1755, 4 ministers and 3 elders held the
first presbytery meeting in the south—the new presbytery was called “Hanover Presbytery.” It was a very large presbytery, encompassing western PA, VA, NC, SC, eastern KY, eastern TN, as well as
the Greenbrier and Tygart valleys of WV. The Reverend Samuel Davies was
elected the first Moderator of Hanover Presbytery. He had been born of Welch parents in Delaware, trained in PA, and ordained by New Castle Presbytery in 1747.
Through
the power of the Holy Spirit, Hanover Presbytery established the first Presbyterian congregation in WV at Lewisburg. Finally, as Cindy Worley has so well shared with us over the last few weeks—the
rest is history. We are the spiritual heirs of all those who have gone before
us in the faith.
At Pentecost,
God birthed the Christian Church. At Pentecost, God broadened the family of faith.
At Pentecost, God gave the church the gift of communication.
Pentecost
therefore is to be a day in which we are reaching out—not only to the uttermost parts of the earth, but also within
our own community. Pentecost therefore is to be a day in which we reach out to
those from whom we are estranged—a day for to seek to bridge the chasms which divide us as family, as neighbors, and
as citizens of this great land. On that first Pentecost, God charged us to celebrate
that we are called to be one family—one family whom God loves.
