The Rev. Denise Vaughn

Setting Heads and Hearts on Fire

In Venice, Italy in one of the great domes of the Basilica of Saint Mark is a famous mosaic that depicts the coming of the Holy Spirit. This mid- twelfth century mosaic located in the dome above the nave, shows the apostles arranged in a circle around the edge of the dome above a bank of windows. In the center of the dome is a throne, on which stands the dove of the Holy Spirit. From the throne, rays extend to each of the apostles. Below them and between the windows are situated people from all nations. The Byzantine design creates a wheel-like effect overhead and from the wheel’s center the empowering activity of the Spirit radiates outward to the apostles and through them to the entire world. I have seen a picture of this mosaic, maybe you have also, and it does beautifully portray the coming of God’s Spirit. Yet, I can’t help thinking how any picture or work of art could genuinely depict the awesome experience of the power of God?

I envision that first Pentecost, of which we read in the book of Acts, with the rush of wind and flame, the startled surprise of the ones gifted and the surge of empowerment that bursts in only to burst through and extend beyond, giving birth to the Church. The coming of the gifts of the Spirit is dynamic and dramatic but that certainly wasn’t how the day began with this disheveled and mournful band of eleven who had gathered in the home of one of the disciples. Here was a group who had lived everyday life with Jesus. They believed that Jesus was the living Christ. Jesus told them before he ascended “Believe in me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” Yet, as they wait, like Jesus asked them to do just before he ascended to the Father, I can just see them wondering what they were going to do next without him.

When suddenly they heard what I would liken to be a holy hurricane headed their way. I have experienced a direct hit from a hurricane while living in Florida, hurricane Charlie and it was anything but holy. Yet, this Holy mighty wind blew through the entire house, and each person was filled with God’s own breath, the Holy Spirit. When the air came out of them, it came out in languages they did not even know they knew. It was an experience of the awesome power of God that no mortal could have engineered. The Spirit had come as Jesus had promised and soon they were drawing a crowd. A crowd that was wondering what was going on…people from Asia Minor, Egypt, Libya, Rome and other places were in Jerusalem for the Jewish agricultural festival called the Feast of Weeks and they were astonished to hear these men speaking in their own languages so far from home.

What they were hearing were the stories about the mighty miracles of the God, of Jesus Christ, and before the day was over, the Church had grown from one hundred twenty to more than three thousand. Disciples who did not think they could continue without Jesus discovered abilities within themselves they never knew they had. They found they sounded like Jesus when they opened their mouths. When they laid hands on the sick it was as if Jesus himself had touched them. They were able to do things they never could do before and all because they had inhaled God’s own breath and were transformed by it.

The Spirit that united Jesus to God and empowered him to be fully the human image of God, is now shared and offered to all people. Pentecost represents the in-breaking of God’s purposes for all humanity, but do we today really believe that this Holy Spirit is something for us. As Barbara Brown Taylor priest and author puts it, “The question for us today is do we believe in a God who blows through closed doors and sets our heads and hearts on fire? Do we still believe in a God with power to transform us, both as individuals and as a people, or have we come to an unspoken agreement that our God is someone to whom we may address our prayer requests but not anyone we really expect to change our lives?”

I have found in my experience that there are many in the church who wonder, if they have even encountered the Holy Spirit. There is no need to wonder, we are assured in our baptism that the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts. At our confirmation, the Bishop affirms this when he or she lays hands upon our head and says “strengthen, O Lord, your servant with your Holy Spirit; empower this person for your service; and sustain him or her all the days of their life”. And when I want to be sure I have the Holy Spirits empowerment to preach God’s word and serve God’s people, I pray ‘Come, Holy Spirit and fill my heart’. But, do not pray for the power of the Spirit unless you do want to feel this power working in your life; transforming and giving gifts to bring to ministry and to our life together.

The life giving power and presence of the Spirit sent by the Father is a divine gift given to the people of God to set their heads and hearts on fire. Do we still believe in a God who acts like that? “Very truly, I tell you, Jesus says, the one who believes in me will do the works that I do and, in fact will do greater works than these…” The gifts given to each of us by the Spirit are meant to be shared. The gifts given are given so that they might spill out to others. That, in fact, is the underlying meaning of the tongues of flame riding on the wind, and the domed mosaic of Saint Mark’s images it well. The source of the gifts is one. Father, Son and Holy Spirit proceed outward to the apostles only to flow through them to the surrounding peoples and nations of the earth. So yes, each of us has the Holy Spirit living inside our hearts we just need to be reminded of what the awesome power of God can do in us, in our community and in our world.

On that Pentecost day, Luke affirms that when all Jesus’ followers those named and unnamed, women and men, young and old, were given the power of Spirit of God they bore witness in every language of the good news of Jesus Christ and the coming day of his return. While we have not yet seen the fulfillment of this promise, as we hear again the story of Pentecost and the birth of the church, we remember that that day will come. Until then, we are the followers who are to sound like Jesus and continue his work. So, Come Holy Spirit with new wind, to set our heads and hearts on fire. Let us breathe in the spirit and breathe outward radiating that spirit into the world so that the Word will be heard, God’s Spirit shared and people will be transformed.