Passing the Baton

Pentecost Sunday

Year C

8 June 2025

Genesis 11:1-9

Psalm 104:25-35, 37b

Acts 2:1-21

John 14:8-17 (25-27)

God our creator,

the resurrection of your Son offers life to all the peoples of earth. By your Holy Spirit, kindle in us the fire of your love,

empowering our lives for service

and our tongues for praise,

through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever. Amen.

__________________________________

Today we celebrate the formal arrival of the Holy Spirit into the world. We celebrate the Holy Spirit’s divine commissioning of the apostles and the disciples to carry on with the work that Jesus highlighted in his teachings and ministry to fulfill the law of God’s in and with love.

And as we celebrate Pentecost, today, I’ve been pondering how little notice we give to the work of the Holy Spirit in the world and in our lives.

Looking back through the pages of the bible, we are able to see that the Holy Spirit hasn’t been absent or inactive.

From the moment of creation, we see the Holy Spirit at work in the world.

Genesis tells us: “² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good.” (Gen 1:2-4a)

The Holy Spirit is the intermediary between God and the prophets throughout Israel’s history.

Isaiah tells us: “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— ³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” (Isa 11:2-3a)

But the Holy Spirit is also capable of speaking as well. ““The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.” (2 Sam 23:2)

In his life and ministry, Jesus admits that he works hand in hand with the Spirit, even when he’s quoting Isaiah.

““The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”” (Lk 4:18-19)

And really this prophesy by Isaiah, of the work and support of the Holy Spirit, in our lives and our ministry, is what we acknowledge and celebrate openly today.

But the Holy Spirit doesn’t stop there. It is by the action of the Holy Spirit that Jesus comes into the world.

Matthew’s gospel tells us: “¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.” (Mt 1:18)

When we see when Jesus baptized the Holy Spirit is active commissioning him, anointing him, and setting him apart for the work ahead when the heavens opened and the spirit descended upon him like a dove.

And all of this brings us back to today. Today we celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit into our lives, and into lives of faith.

At the end of Matthew’s gospel, we find what is called ‘the great commission.’

“Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20)

Here we find Jesus telling the apostles, the disciples, and all who are there that the work that he started in the world, this work that he mentored his followers in doing is what we are encouraged to continue in and through each of our lives, through the help of the Holy Spirit.

“⁵ For John baptized with water, but … you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” … ⁸ you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:5-8)

So, perhaps what we see in today’s passage from Acts is the Holy Spirit fulfilling what Jesus has spoken both at the conclusion of Matthew’s gospel and at the start of Acts.

We celebrate what is, in reality, the formal introduction of the Holy Spirit into our lives, our hearts, and our work to further the work of Jesus in the world. So then what we are able to truly celebrate is God’s claim in today’s passage from Genesis which tells us:

“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. … the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. ⁶ The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” (Gen 11:1, 5-6)

We see that without knowledge of the love of God for all of creation, God’s concern is the blind and unending ambition of humanity.

So, once more the Holy Spirit is set to work, this time frustrating the efforts of a work done without love of God at its centre.

The text tells us that God said: “⁷ Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

⁸ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.” (Gen 11:7-8)

But when we look at the work of God, of the Holy Spirit throughout the bible, we find that God seeks to be an active participant in our lives, and the focus of our lives of faith.

Psalm 51 reminds us of our prayer to God when we say: “Create in me a pure heart, O God,    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence    or take your Holy Spirit from me.^” (PS 51:10-11)

So, today we welcome the joyous and the noisy arrival of the Holy Spirit into our lives and hearts.

We welcome the shy member of the trinity into our work in the world carrying on the work of Jesus.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. … ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1-2, 4)

Since the time of the tower of Babel, God has and continues to work toward being a part of all of our lives.

We are able to witness this in the covenants with Abram, and with the Hebrew people. We see this in the work of the prophets and the judges.

We see this in Jesus’ own ministry. We see in the passion, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. We see this in his ascension.

So, today we see the arrival of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who have been prepared to continue the work that Jesus began in his life and ministry. Work that we continue, today, through the blessings and grace that comes from God through the Holy Spirit.

We remember the arrival of the Holy Spirit in each our lives, as well.

Last week I had the pleasure of hearing Pr. Ron equate the ascension of Jesus and the arrival of the Holy Spirit like the passing of a baton in a relay race.

The baton of faith, of trust in God, of a willingness to share the love of God is passed from one generation of the faithful to the next to continue the work of Jesus. To see the furtherance of God’s love in the world across the generations.

Today we celebrate the ability to convey the love of God across cultures, and around the world. We celebrate God and all the ways that God’s love is able to be found, realized, and shared throughout the world.

But moreso we celebrate that God has found a way for us to realize our creative potential with God and the centre of our hearts.

“⁶ The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” (Gen 11:6)

“⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?” (Acts 2:6-8)

And following the writers of the New Testament, we are able to follow how the Holy Spirit continues to urge us to move into all of the world.

“⁷ Utterly amazed, [the people on the street] asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? …—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”” (Acts 2:2-8, 11b-12)

Through the action of the Holy Spirit, Peter brings reason, and the revelation of prophesy to the confusion of all on the streets of Jerusalem as they hear the joy of the followers of Jesus as they proclaim God’s love in the languages of their hearts.

In Genesis, we’re told: “⁶ The Lord [say], “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” (Gen 11:6)

Through the Holy Spirit the whole world is available to learn of all of the ways that God’s love is able to be realized in the world.

Through the movement of the Holy Spirit across the generations, and throughout the bible, we share the inspiration o the love of God that has travelled down the generations to our very lives, today.

So, today we celebrate.

We celebrate the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world, in each of our lives and hearts.

We celebrate God’s confidence that together with the Holy Spirit, with this shy member of the trinity, we are able to accomplish absolutely anything to which we set our hearts.

Including passing our batons.

Amen.