The Collect:
O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Gospel
John 20:19-23
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
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On this weekend here in America, we have the opportunity to observe two important holidays back to back, an event that only occurs every few years. On Sunday we observe the Feast day of Pentecost and on Monday we observe Memorial Day. Two events that mark time, spring is ending and summer looms ahead, the events signify an end and a beginning. For some, the last Monday in May is the first day of summer, although it was established as a day to decorate the graves of our fallen soldiers, it is now widely set aside by many of us as a day to remember our family and friends that have passed on.
The Feast of Pentecost is also a memorial day, every year when Christians gather to celebrate Pentecost, they remember the events that marked the beginning of the New Testament Church as recorded in the 2nd chapter of Acts. The Epistle assigned for today includes the first 21 verses but lets take a look at verses one through six:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a noise came from heaven. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw something that looked like flames of fire. The flames were separated and stood over each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak different languages. The Holy Spirit was giving them the power to do this.
There were some godly Jews in Jerusalem at this time. They were from every country in the world. A large crowd came together because they heard the noise. They were surprised because, as the apostles were speaking, everyone heard in their own language.
Jews who were devout, were gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks, as designated by God in Leviticus 23:16 as well as Deuteronomy 16:9, a feast day that was to occur seven weeks and a day after Passover. These people were astounded by the actions of those first followers of Christ who had been filled with the Holy Spirit and were now speaking, and although most were from Galilee, all these people who spoke diverse languages could understand what they were saying.
Some naysayers speculated that they were simply drunk. This gross misconception inspired Peter to preach the first sermon given by an Apostle of Christ which led to many in the crowd to accept Christ as their savior and being Baptized. An event that generally is considered to be the birth of the Christian Church.
Our Gospel reading for today is from John Chapter 20, verses 19 to 23. I want to bring your attention to verse 19:
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
This event occurs on the Sunday evening after Jesus was crucified, and Saint John writes that they were gathered together in a house where the doors were locked “for fear of the Jews.” These people were absolutely terrified, the Jews had arrested their teacher and executed him horribly by crucifixion, and if that wasn’t bad enough, earlier in the day, his tomb had been found empty and Mary had told them that the risen Christ had appeared before her.
I don’t know about you, but if I had been one of that number on that day, I would have been pretty shook up.
Now, keeping in mind that the door was locked so that no one could just walk in, Jesus appears, show them his wounds as proof that it was indeed him and says to them, “Peace be with you.”
He was telling them to calm down, not to be fearful, but ironically he had already told them this in his discourse at the Last Supper. In chapter 14 verses 25 to 27 John related this statement by Jesus:
“I have told you all these things while I am with you. But the Helper will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name. “I leave you peace. It is my own peace I give you. I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don’t be troubled. Don’t be afraid.”
I have no doubt that on that Sunday evening after his crucifixion when he had risen from the dead and appeared to them in that locked room, they remembered his words of just a few days earlier when they had gathered for that last meal with Jesus.
“I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don’t be troubled. Don’t be afraid.”
During that last meal, he had warned them that as the world hated him, they would be hated by the world as well. It is hard not to presume that after he had been arrested and executed on the cross, they were fearful that they would be next to be arrested. But Jesus came to them and offered them his Peace, the knowledge that while they would be persecuted for the sake of his name, they would be assured everlasting life in heaven with Jesus and his Holy Father, God.
This is the different kind of Peace that Jesus offers, the Peace in knowing that while we may suffer death, and event that is assured in one form or another, Just as he was resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven, we will—after death—be brought up into heaven to be united with our loved ones as well as Jesus and the Holy Father.
John goes on to tell us how that Thomas, who was not there that Sunday evening when Jesus first appeared to the rest of the disciples, did not believe them when they told him what had happened, that the Risen Christ had appeared before them. Then a week later when they were again gathered together, and Thomas was with them, Jesus again appeared and instructed Thomas to stick his finger into the wounds so he would know it was indeed the Risen Christ. Thomas did so and immediately proclaimed; “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus then said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This saying of Christ is important to us who have accepted him and have been filled with the Holy Spirit, that entity Jesus called the Helper. During the Last Supper (John 14:26) he told them;
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
Just as Jesus “Breathed” the Holy Spirit on those gathered together that first Sunday after his crucifixion, and just as God sent the Holy Spirit to fill those that were there on the day of Pentecost, God fills us with the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us to him.
So you see Memorial Day and Pentecost are both similar, both a beginning and an end, in that on Memorial day we look to the future, the summer ahead as we look to the past reflecting on the memories of those who have gone before us.
On Pentecost we look to the past and the events of that day when, just as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit came and filled his followers and they in turn set into motion what has become the Christian Church. And we also look to the future when we will be united, not only with our loved ones, but with Jesus himself and his Holy Father.
As we go about our Feast of Pentecost and Memorial day weekend, let us reflect on these words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” John 3:16-18
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:1-3
May the Peace of the Lord be with you, Amen.
Scripture from American Standard Version, public domain
The Collect is from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979. as found on lectionarypage.net
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