Pentecost Winds - A Sermon for June 8 2025
GOSPEL: John 14:8-17 [25-27]
The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the 14th chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Though the disciples struggle with Jesus’ nature and identity, they receive the promise that they too will be identified with God and God’s mission. Though he must leave them now, Jesus promises the coming of the Advocate whom God will send to comfort and enlighten them.
8 Philip said to [Jesus,] “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, but if you do not, then believe because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you. [
25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”]
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
It was the year 2005 - seems a lifetime ago,
My wife and I went to a family reunion
in southern Saskatchewan, not far from Estevan.
It was typical and enjoyable,
we travelled the 8 plus hours for family, fun, and food,
and the unknown extended family that awaited:
a meagre 200 or so relatives we’d never met.
Being the introverts that we are,
we escaped the group campfire on night 2
to play cards in our tent.
The night sky went dark earlier than expected,
and suddenly the rush of a violent wind hit the area.
We knew we were in trouble when our tent poles
became inverted.
We were afraid we would fly away with the wind
in our tent.
We got out and joined the crowd running to the community hall
for safety.
A tornado touched down not far from there.
We were bewildered trying to make sense of the event.
There was plenty of property damage,
We were thankful that we didn’t get hit,
that we were safe.
And there’s nothing like escaping tragedy
to bring people together.
All of a sudden,
those new familial relationships
had some depth.
It was good to be with the youth at Kuriakos last weekend.
We talked about our call -
discerning where God calls us to go,
using our gifts and abilities
to help meet the needs in the world.
Wherever the Wind blows,
where ever the wind moves you
is exactly where you’re supposed to be.
It was a little similar to that family reunion,
we travelled 2 hours
for fun, food, and faith,
and for meeting our unknown family in Christ.
Like the family reunion,
we had an idea of what to expect,
but when God is involved,
we should expect the unexpected.
It was about time for the Saturday campfire,
I was with the youth and counsellors
as they began to build the fire at the summit.
Suddenly the rush of a violent wind came,
(but it wasn’t that sudden,
I looked at the weather app earlier,
and it said the wind was coming!)
Anyhow, they struggled to light the fire in the wind,
and the wind blew the flames to unintended places.
A little side lesson on the Spirit,
God’s Wind will blow where she wants,
not necessarily where we want.
One of the youth campers was from Cochrane,
and she was welcomed into Advent’s team.
She was walking towards the campfire,
we saw her walking towards us in the distance.
The rush of a violent wind came,
and a large branch fell from that tree,
and it crashed a couple feet in front of her
as she walked.
It was scary.
We marvelled at how close a call it was.
One of the Kuriakos staff said:
“God’s Spirit was protecting you.”
On the prairie that tornado-ey day, 20 years ago,
the wind didn't make much noise -
we were scared it would sneak back up on us.
Last week at Kuriakos,
Surrounded by the forest,
the sound of that rushing wind in the trees
left little to the imagination.
It was a different frightening.
As I reflect on these two wind-Spirit events,
I am thankful for that reminder,
God is our protector,
whether we can hear the winds coming,
or they sneak up on us.
God created this universe with diversity and wonder.
Some days it’s 25 and sunny,
some days it’s minus 40,
and every so often comes the tornado.
God is our protector in the storm.
The disciples faced a terrible wind storm
one day out at sea with Jesus.
As the rush of the violent winds came,
Jesus was asleep on a cushion.
They woke him - Jesus, do you not care that we are perishing!!
Jesus stills the storm.
With Jesus in your boat you have nothing to fear.
There’s a pattern in John’s gospel,
you can see it in texts like today’s,
Jesus says hard things,
then Jesus promises the Spirit.
then repeat.
It’s not unlike the task of the church today -
there are some hard things for us,
but Jesus promises us the Spirit.
again and again.
In the words of Matthew Skinner,
the in-breaking power of the Holy Spirit
is the power of deep companionship and guidance. (https://www.workingpreacher.org/podcasts/1027-day-of-pentecost-june-08-2025)
The Spirit is our advocate, our Paraclete,
the One who runs the race along side of us,
the Spirit of Truth who guides us into all truth,
Jesus meant it when he said “I will not leave you orphaned.”
Jesus is with us by God’s Spirit
to face the hard things we are called to face.
God’s Spirit comforts the afflicted,
and afflicts the comfortable.
That Pentecost day, the story as recorded in Acts 2:
This is no gentle in breaking of the Spirit.
The hymn of the day today is not “Spirit of Gentleness”
The coming of the Spirit at Pentecost was
like the rush of a violent wind.
It was scary.
Like youth travelling to Kuriakos,
or my wife and I travelling to the family reunion,
Jews from all over the world -
and those living in or near Jerusalem
were coming to the festival;
they were expecting one thing
and certainly received another.
What should have been celebration and joy
resulted in fear.
A perceived escaping of violence brought the people together,
but it was really the Wind of the Spirit
that did it.
They were united in God’s Word,
shared and received across many languages
The festival is Shavuot - one of the three greatest Jewish festivals.
They were gathering 50 days after the Passover,
this was the festival of thanksgiving for the law.
There probably weren’t any gentiles there.
The in-breaking of the Spirit at Pentecost
was with Jewish pilgrims and residents.
From here Jesus keeps his promise,
you will be my witnesses,
to the ends of the earth.
Amidst the fear of the violent wind,
The Spirit sent the apostles from that Pentecost event
to the ends of the earth,
united in the Gospel.
Success is in the sending.
My sisters, brothers, and siblings in Christ,
The same Holy Spirit that came at Pentecost
like the rush of a violent wind
that scattered God’s Word around the globe
in the languages of the people,
sent in and with God’s people,
is the same Holy Spirit given to you and all the Church
in baptism.
The Spirit Wind continues to blow.
The Wind is blowing inside Christ’s Church,
and outside Christ’s Church.
Sometimes it is gentle and comforting breeze,
and sometimes it is a violent rush.
Sometimes when we are filled with the Spirit,
our result is fear
and not celebration.
The Holy Spirit sends us out
to be Jesus’ witnesses to the end of the Earth,
and maybe that's a result that we aren't interested in.
We might be afraid of the Spirit,
and maybe it is a failure to understand the Spirit
that leads to fear.
The work of the Spirit
is the ongoing abiding ministry of Jesus Christ.
The Spirit’s work is all about Jesus,
driving Jesus to the wilderness
sending Jesus to the cross,
raising Jesus from the grave,
Our interconnection with Jesus
is continued with another Advocate.
Jesus said “I will be with you always to the end of the age”
the Word of God continues to dwell with us,
tabernacle with us,
the Spirit is the one who convicts us to faith:
If you can call out to God,
If you can cry out to God,
that is evidence of God’s Spirit in you.
God’s Spirit cares for you,
accompanies you,
and so by God’s Spirit
we can continue to build and sustain the Church,
by God’s Spirit
as communities of welcome and care.
Escaping violence brings people together.
This is part of the Pentecost story,
Amidst violent winds,
the Spirit brought unity amidst diversity.
By God’s Spirit,
I pray that our sanctuary may be a safe space
for people to find comfort amidst afflicting winds.
You and I are diverse like God’s creation,
you could say we each have our own language,
our own way that we relate with God,
and for many reasons,
people of faith are afraid to talk about faith,
like we’ll say the wrong thing
and we’ll get struck by lightning
or a crashing branch.
Jesus goes with you,
the Word of God is in you,
you are the baptized,
filled with God’s Spirit,
and we are sent out into what might feel like
ongoing rushes of violent winds in the world,
not to have the right answers,
but to point to Jesus - the answer.
Some of these winds we will enter are not God,
the winds of violence and war,
the winds of selfishness and greed,
the winds of polarity and division,
the winds that say some people are in
while others are out.
Amidst those winds,
trust that the Wind of the Spirit
will comfort you in your affliction,
and trust that God’s Spirit will afflict you
to join God’s Spirit in the Winds of change,
Winds that fan the Flames where God wants them,
towards justice, equity, and peace.
My sisters, brothers, and siblings in Christ,
Hear and receive these words of Jesus:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”
Amidst the storms of this world,
May you trust and believe that God’s Spirit is your protector;
That with Jesus in your boat,
you have nothing to fear.
Amidst the storms of the Spirit,
May God’s Spirit send you out to witness to Jesus,
with Jesus’ power of deep companionship and guidance.
And wherever the Wind blows you,
May you know that is exactly where you’re meant to be.
Come, Holy Spirit, Come.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
