The Rev. Dr. Patricia Ramsden                                     6/12/11

The Holy Spirit                                       First Presbyterian Church

 

 

         This is the day of Pentecost – a day of amazement and wonder --- a day of incredible power and mystery – a day when we celebrate the presence of the Holy Spirit within and among us. 

         But it is also a day which makes many of us slightly uncomfortable.  We don’t really like all this talk about a Holy Spirit.           I think one reason for this may be that we can’t control her.  The Spirit blows where she will.  She is like the wind, like a raging fire, like a still, quiet voice within.  We can’t explain her or capture her. 

And we like to be able to explain and “prove” our faith logically, “scientifically” even.  We are, for the most part, more than a little skeptical of those who claim to be born in the Spirit and who talk about speaking in tongues. 

        

We prefer our religion to be more neatly wrapped.  We like to talk about faith in intellectual terms as something we can dissect and then put back together again.  We don’t want to be too emotional.  We are, after all, known as the “frozen chosen.”

         And somehow we have come to associate the power of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit with just those things we fear the most. 

         We fear that somehow if we admit that we too are Spirit-filled, that we might be confused with those rather intense and strange looking men and women who corner innocent people in elevators and ask them if they’ve been born again.  We fear that we might be confused with those who insist loudly that if you don’t speak in tongues you just haven’t made it as a Christian yet. 

         At times we’re uncomfortable because many churches who call themselves Pentecostal seem to place a lot of emphasis on “feeling” the power of God to the exclusion of everything else.  Too often it seems that they equate being Christian with feeling good.  It is almost as if they are always on a spiritual high and they go to church to get their next fix.  Their response to almost any trouble, or heartache, or problem in life is to say with a smile “Just praise God.”

         For whatever reason, I think that many of us have shied away from all mention of the glorious promise of Christ that He will send to us A Counselor,         a Comforter,         the Spirit of Truth to dwell with in us and to call upon in time of need.

         So today, I would like to spend some time thinking about the qualities of the Holy Spirit --- this Spirit which each of us has received.  This Spirit which quickens our faith and lends to us the courage and strength we need to cope with life. 

         I think it is important to begin by remembering that the Spirit is both God and a gift from God sent by Jesus to do something – to render service --- to be active in our lives and in our faith—to grant us a greater understanding of faith. 

         Whenever we read the Bible, we find that there are many words used to describe the Holy Spirit:  Advocate,  Helper,         Friend,         Comforter,         Teacher.  One of the reasons for this is that the Greek word that is used in scripture is the word Paraclete, and there is no one English word that can say all that the Greek word for Paraclete means. 

         The Paraclete -- the Holy Spirit --- is our advocate.  I gained a whole new appreciation for what that meant when I read  what the word advocate meant to those who used it first to describe the Holy Spirit. 

         To them an advocate was someone who was called in to help, in any situation, when a person can no longer cope by themselves.  The advocate gave them whatever help they needed to see them through. 

         So we too can call upon our Advocate to help us in our time of need knowing that She will lend to us the strength and the courage and the wisdom we may need to face our situation, to see us through until once again we are able to cope. 

         She is also our intercessor.  For the Greeks, that was a legal term:  the Paraclete was the friend of the accused person and was called in to speak on their behalf, to present their case in the best possible light. 

         She is our spokesman, our mediator.  The Spirit communicates our deepest needs and desires.  Perhaps Paul describes it best in Romans 8 when he says: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit intercedes for us with sighs to deep for words.” 

         I cannot say what comfort that brings me, to know that during those times when we simply can’t find the right words to say --- when there are no words to express how we feel – that the Holy Spirit takes our prayers to the heart of God in sighs too deep for words. 

         And so the Holy Spirit is also our comforter and our consoler, one whose strength we can lean on when our own strength is gone ---  One who holds us as we weep ---  One whose presence never leaves us to face the darkness or despair alone.  

         The Spirit is also our counselor, our teacher, the Spirit of Truth.  It is the Holy Spirit who moves us to respond to Jesus.  It is the Spirit who convinces us of the truth of the gospel: of Christ’s victory over sin and death.  It is the Spirit who encourages us and empowers us to live out the good news of grace and love in our daily lives. 

         Let us then celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit this day among and within us as we eat the bread and drink the wine that saves us.