In the Rustling Grass 1

The concept of the Holy Trinity is a great example of how we can

choose to wander through the weeds of detail instead of accepting that
things can be true without our fully understanding them. Along with our
views on Jesus, the Trinity is one of the things that Muslims point out as a
fundamental difference between our faiths. Instead of worshiping one true
God, we seem to be worshipping three Gods. Fortunately for us, being able
to explain the theological implications of a triune God is not a requirement
for our faith. Our readings today give us two different accounts of how the
Holy Spirit was gifted to the disciples along with an explanation of how the
Spirit works in our lives. While we dont need to understand the theology of
the Trinity, todays readings give us an opportunity to better understand
how the Holy Spirit works in our lives.
The reading from Acts is the most familiar and graphic account of
Pentecost. We are certainly familiar with the power of wind and with the
idea that something can be invisible while having visible effects. We have
watched the wind whip snow across the empty fields, the wind blowing
through the grass, and the damage that wind can do during storms. As
rural people, we can appreciate the basic elements, wind, earth, fire, and
water and how they are woven into the explanations of how God interacts
with his creation. The tongues of fire over the disciples heads arent much
different than the light bulbs that are used to depict ideas in cartoons. The
part that really stands out is that each of the listeners can hear the story of
God in his own language.They did not need to become in order to belong;
God came to them and spoke to them in their own reality. Of course, we
can help the process by focusing on being present and listening. Part of the
 In the Rustling Grass 2

work of the Spirit is as simple as looking past our preconceptions of others,

resisting the urge to plan a reply while the other person is still speaking, or
just spending our time planning out what comes next.
In our second lesson, Paul explains the work of the spirit within the
framework of the body of Christ as God-given unity and Spirit-created
diversity. The work of the Holy Spirit is as unique as the people who
receive it just as the different parts of the body are unique. It is the
message, Jesus is Lord, that unites the body to do the work of the Lord.
Johns account of the Spirit is short and straightforward. Jesus
breathes the Spirit into the disciples on Easter after wishing them peace
and charging them, As the Father has sent me, so I send you. As I have
mentioned before, the fact that Jesus has been freed from his earthly body
combines with the power of the Holy Spirit to allow the Church to spread
through the disciples. The astonishing thing is that this process is repeated
every time we come together in worship -- especially when we take
communion. The final section of our Gospel, If you forgive the sins of any,
they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained, is
similar to Matthews great commission. For John, sin is not as much about
moral judgement as it is about living in communion with Christ. It is up to
the disciples to share the Good News with everyone. Choosing not to share
is not only a sin on the part of the disciples, but it also results in the other
being left in darkness. This is our charge as well -- to share the Good News
of Christ. As we learned from the account in Acts, this doesnt mean that
we need others to change -- only that we do what we can to present the
word so that others can hear and understand. AMEN