As Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, we all learn about Jesus and are encouraged to develop an intimate relationship with him. We also learn about Jesus’ heavenly Father who sent Jesus into our midst to lead us back to God, our Father, who longs for us to join him forever in heaven. And today, we celebrate his giving of the Holy Spirit. As we hear in today’s readings, the Bible presents the introduction of the Holy Spirit on two occasions: on Easter day and on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost.
As we just heard from the reading taken from the Gospel of John, Jesus first gives his disciples the Holy Spirit on the evening of that first Easter after the disciples had discovered that the tomb was empty and Jesus had appeared to Mary Magdalene. Jesus had told her to tell the disciples that he was risen, and she did, but they did not understand. So on that first evening they were gathered in a house with the doors locked, because they were afraid – afraid of being killed, just as Jesus had been killed three days before. And suddenly, Jesus was among them and the first thing he said to them was, “Peace be with you.”
“Peace be with you.” We all know that this was a typical Jewish greeting; shalom. But here, it takes on a new meaning because just a few days earlier, at the Last Supper, Jesus had assured them with these words: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” And yet, there the disciples were, troubled and very much afraid. So, Jesus says it again; did you notice? “Peace be with you.” We are not to miss it. And in between offering this great peace that only he could give, he showed them the marks in his hands and side, which he had suffered on the cross. Then it began to dawn on them. This was really Jesus, who had been crucified, who had died on the cross, but now he was alive. And we hear that the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Their lives were changed from disabling fear into joy by the presence of the risen Lord.
We might think that this was the climax of this encounter, but it was really only the beginning. “Peace be with you” is just Jesus’ opening line during this life-changing moment. As we hear in the gospel account, Jesus continues, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” God the Father sent his only Son from heaven to save the world and now that Son says, “That’s how I’m now sending you.” Can you imagine those disciples? Here they were, huddled in fear, hiding in a house with locked doors, just trying to save their own skins. And Jesus comes and says he is sending them to save the world. What a momentous turn of events.
And, Jesus assures them that God will still accompany them, this time in the person of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus had told them that he was sending them, we hear that he “breathed on them.” Now, those words should be familiar to all of us because we hear them throughout the Bible. In the book of Genesis, we read how God forms the first human beings from the dust of the earth. Then, we read that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” In Psalm 104, we read that when God takes away a creature’s breath, it dies and returns to dust, but when he sends forth his spirit – or breath; in Hebrew, this is the same word – they are created. So, Jesus breathed on those disciples and if that was not plain enough, his words told them what it means: “Receive the Holy Spirit.” “Receive the breath of God.” In that moment, the risen Christ raised those fearful, faltering followers to newness of life.
This is the significance of Pentecost: the giving of the Spirit, the giving of new life, from the Father through the Son. The Holy Spirit is what makes it possible for us to go where we are sent. The Spirit is God’s active, personal presence that accompanies us as we live and proclaim the gospel. That’s why it is so important that we listen carefully to today’s readings and hear this message. We need to know that through his word, God again breathes the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, on us – recreating us as a holy people, as his very own body, the Church. Pentecost was the day when the power of the Holy Spirit became evident as the followers of Jesus opened the doors of the place where they were hiding and began to proclaim the Gospel to everyone who would listen. But notice, that wasn’t the end of it. That was only the beginning. The mission goes on as God’s Spirit today bestows Christ’s peace and draws people together in Jesus’ name for us right here in our parish. It is to this mission that all those who have been confirmed are called.
As the capstone of the Spirit’s work today we are offered Jesus himself, his own body and blood, so that we might be his body in the world. Notice what I will say in just a few moments as the bread and wine are transformed: “send forth your Holy Spirit to sanctify these gifts of bread and wine, that they may become the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is the work of the Holy Spirit that changes the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ! And then, before we come to the altar to receive our Lord in Holy Communion, we will echo Jesus’ words, “Peace be with you” as we exchange Christ’s peace to those around us. This is not merely a casual greeting but a concrete bestowal of the gift of divine peace that comes from Christ to our neighbor through us in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is in this peace that we then receive Jesus in the Eucharist.
Each one of us has life only by the constant gift of God’s breath of life. Each of us has faith in Jesus Christ and hope for eternal life only by the ongoing work of God’s Spirit through the means of grace. Each of us, by the gift of that Spirit, is a disciple of Jesus Christ sent forth in God’s world in the company of the faithful.
The Spirit of God, the breath of God, the divine wind that blows where God wills, blows into our bodies in every moment, keeping us alive. It blows into our hearts and minds and souls, bringing us faith and new life. And it brings us the peace of God and sends us out – blows us out, really – where we will be swept up in the marvelous saving work of God.
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.