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Exegesis Texts of the Readings
May 11, 2008 Pentecost (ABC) Dr. Terrance Callan Acts 2:1-11 X 1 Cor 12:3-7,12-13 X John 20:19-23 This Sunday we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, recalling the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives as Christians. The readings for this Sunday remind us that the Holy Spirit dwells in us to make us one with Jesus and with one another, and to draw us into the mission of Jesus in the world. This is clearest in the reading from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Paul reminds the Corinthians that when they were baptized, they became part of the body of Christ and received the Spirit. The Spirit is the life-principle of Christ, and to be a member of the body of Christ is to share in his life-principle. But Paul makes it clear that sharing in the Spirit of Christ is not only a state of being, but also a call to action. The Spirit gives each of us gifts, and the gifts of each are incomplete in themselves and require the gifts of other Christians to be complete. When the gifts of all are combined, the body of Christ is a functional whole. The members sustain one another and together do the work of Christ in the world. The same idea is expressed differently in the reading from the gospel according to John. In this reading we hear of an appearance of Jesus to his disciples after his death and resurrection. He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is a share in the breath, the life-principle, of Jesus. And this gift means not only union with Jesus, but also doing his work. Just before he gives them the Holy Spirit, Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And after he gives them a share in his Spirit, Jesus defines his, and our, work in the world as offering it forgiveness. That is, we offer the world the opportunity to know God in us and thus to find fulfillment. The reading from the Acts of the Apostles does not explicitly say that when the Holy Spirit descended upon the followers of Jesus, they were united with Jesus. But it is clear that the Spirit inspired them to take up his mission. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they courageously proclaimed the marvels God had accomplished, just as Jesus had done before them. When they did so, it was obvious that more than their own ability was at work; speakers of many different languages each heard the disciples speaking in their own language. These readings indicate where we should look for the Spirit in our own lives. When we sometimes manage to combine our gifts so that they form a harmonious whole; when we actually are the presence of Jesus in the world; then we sense that more than our own power is at work, and we know the presence of the Spirit in us. The readings for this Sunday remind us that as Christians we do live in the Holy Spirit, and they call upon us to discover the power of the Spirit in our lives. Terrance Callan
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