On this day the Holy Spirit makes the Church
SERMON PREACHED MAY 24, 2026 THE DAY OF PENTECOST, YEAR A
PSALM 104:25-35,37 — ACTS 2:1-21 — JOHN 20:19-23
From Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians: “For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”
On this day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Easter, the Church is made. Jesus’ followers are all together in one place, and the Holy Spirit pours out upon them.
We recall how, after Jesus’ crucifixion, the disciples were feeling bereft and lost. The teacher to whom they had become deeply connected, was no more. For anyone whose parent, or spouse, or child, or dear friend has died, we know the immensity of the hole that death leaves in our lives. Community seems to have been shattered.
For God made us to dwell in families and among friends and associates, and when any one of these good, strong ties snaps, the death affects us personally — physically and emotionally and spiritually. So important is it that we live in community, that upon ordination Episcopal deacons are sent out in the name of Christ, to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.
Presently there is an epidemic of loneliness in our country. One of the most famous long-term studies, the Harvard Study of Adult Development, has followed people for more than 80 years. Its central finding is striking: good relationships are the strongest predictor of happiness and health—not wealth, fame, or IQ.
People who reported strong, supportive relationships:
- Lived longer
- Had lower rates of heart disease
- Experienced less depression and anxiety
- Maintained better memory and cognitive function into old age
Researchers increasingly see social connection as a basic biological need, not a luxury. In fact:
- Social bonds help regulate stress hormones like cortisol
- Close relationships improve immune function
- Emotional support buffers the effects of trauma and illness
I say that the most important social bonds are found in the Body of Christ, the Church. For us at St. Francis, the relationships we nurture here, in faith and serving Christ with joy, are the most important ones in our lives. Our families thrive when set into the Church. So when people say that St. Francis feels like family, that’s a way of saying that we are related in Christ just as God intends, filled with God’s grace and peace. Truly we are sisters and brothers. We are blessed.
So, the disciples are grappling with a new loneliness, now that Jesus has been crucified, died, buried, resurrected and ascended into heaven. Some of them no doubt recall what Jesus promised. He said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, to be with you forever. 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.” (John 14:15-17)
As the disciples and other followers of Jesus, including Mary and the other women, are gathered together in one place, an extraordinary thing happens! God pours the Holy Spirit upon them, which then takes up a dwelling place within each person. Visually, the Spirit forms a tongue of fire upon each one. This is why we wear red on Pentecost – red visualizes our personal spiritual tongue of fire.
Beyond this, Jesus’ followers, Galileans all, begin speaking in foreign languages! The crowd around them recognizes that the languages are from other lands, yet they hear the speech in their own native tongue. This is what we will imitate when we say the Lord’s Prayer, during the Eucharist, each in our native language. We will have a lot of English, of course, but also French and a couple of Filippino dialects. If we listen closely, we will understand. And God of course hears all from the heart!
But the Holy Spirit was doing a far greater work than just lighting up and facilitating speech—this was the birth of the Church, the body of Christ, equipped by the Spirit to follow Jesus and serve God with each other and in the world.
Paul explains to the Church in Corinth how this works: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
Remember, Baptism is by water and the Holy Spirit, which is poured upon the baptized. Each baptized person is named before God, sealed with the sign of the cross, and flooded with the Holy Spirit. Do not doubt that the Spirit is alive in you and loves to lead you in Jesus’ way.
The Holy Spirit, blesses and gifts each person in the Church for the lifting up of the whole. Some among us are deeply spiritual. Some are especially strong in faith and understanding. Some perceive the spirits, discerning the Holy from the cunning evil tempter. Some possess vision, some are blessed in healing, some are given to generosity. Some among us produce wonderful things from their kitchens and serve them with grace. Some of us make St. Francis’ gardens bloom, and some of us help the animals. Some of us are notably orderly, and they bless us with their talents. Some voice the song that helps lift all of our voices. Some are fervent in feeding the hungry.
All of these distinctions are gifts of the Holy Spirit, and each gifted person is tethered to Jesus – because that’s what gifts of the Spirit do: they lead us in all Truth to the Savior. Together, these spiritually gifted ones – that means all of us – make St. Francis what we are, and what we are becoming.
THANKS BE TO GOD. Amen.