Theology on Tap Round IV - God’s Continuing Revelation
The Holy Spirit
The theological term for this topic is pneumatology.
The premise for this conversation is that God is still at work in our world. Through the movement of the Holy Spirit God moves and works in and through us.
Martin Luther writes; “But God’s Spirit alone is called a Holy Spirit, that is, the one who has made us holy and still makes us holy. As the Father is called a creator, and the Son is called a Redeemer, so on account of his (SIC) work the Holy Spirit must be called a Sanctifier, or one who makes us holy.” Large Catechism, The Creed, The Third Article
Key concept: Sanctification, “to be made holy.”
Sanctification:
From the Greek word ἁγιασμός, {hag-ee-as-mos'}; “dedication to the interests of deity.” Holiness, Consecration. Romans 6:19,22. Basically, to become “God-like.”
From Frederick Buechner’s Wishful Thinking; “But little by little – less by taking pains than by taking it easy – the forgiven person starts to become a forgiving person, the healed person to become a healing person, the loved person to become a loving person. God does most of it. The end of the process, Paul says, is eternal life, Romans 6:23.” (Wishful Thinking, pg. 104)
Martin Luther;
“This life is not righteousness, but growth to righteousness, not health but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be but we are growing toward it. The process is not yet finished but it is going on. This is not the end, but it is the road.” From the Defense of All Articles, Luther’s Works, American Edition, Vol. 32, pg. 24.
According to Luther (in the Large Catechism, The Creed, Third Article), “the Holy Spirit effects our being made holy through the following:
- The community of Saints (the Christian Church)
- Forgiveness of Sins
- Resurrection of the Body
- Life Everlasting
The Word of God is important. Through these the Holy Spirit preaches and proclaims.
Development of the word spirit.
Hebrew: Ruach (feminine)
Greek: Pneuma ( neuter)
Latin: Spiritus (masculine)
Symbolism of the Spirit.
Genesis 1. The Spirit (Ruach) of God moves over the waters. Ruach has several meanings - “wind, breath, disturbance.” God’s spirit, the ruach, has a creative quality. Creates life out of chaos.
Ruach used 378 in the Old Testament.
136 - God/God’s Spirit
113 - wind, atmosphere (no theological meaning)
116 - human breathing (our breathing has spiritual connotation)
10 - animals
3 - idols
The Spirit is that which fills the void between heaven and earth. This is why breathing has a spiritual quality. The Spirit is that which produces life. From the third article of the Nicene Creed; “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life…”
In the second creation story, Genesis 2:4b-25, God breaths life into the adam, the earth creature. Genesis 2:7 - "then the Lord God formed man (adam, earth creature) from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being."
In the New Testament, the healings/exorcisms of Jesus often have to do with speaking. The physical act of moving air over the vocal chords. When we cannot speak for ourselves, when we are possessed if you will, we cannot articulate who we are. In the healing stories, Jesus restores the ability to speak, for the person to claim who they are.
Idolatry has a nuance of possession. When we are possessed by something, when we place other things before God, we no longer articulate our identity as God’s own creation. Jesus moves us into a place where we can speak for ourselves and claim our identity as God’s sons and daughters. God’s spirit moves in us as an act of healing, reminding us of our identity so that we can tell the story of God’s work in the world.
Images of the Spirit in Scripture.
The Dove. Matthew 3:16 - “And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.”
Why the dove? Perhaps its because it is a creature of the air, something that lives in between heaven and earth. Doves also live close to humanity, something we recognize. A bird that can be used for communication. We have evidence from as early as 1000 BCE of doves being used in a mail system; doves used to communicate.
The Advocate. John 14:25-26 - “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. (26) But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.”
Fire. Acts 2:1-4 - “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. (2) And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. (3) Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. (4) All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”
In baptism we have both the symbols of water and fire. Both are signs of cleansing and creation. Baptism by immersion has the rich image of a metaphorical drowning - losing the ability to breath, dying to sin - and the first breath when raised out of the waters is the breath of new life.
The Power of the Spirit.
The power of the Holy Spirit helps us to discern God’s continuing work in our world. The story of Acts chapters 10-15, the acceptance of Paul’s mission to the Gentiles by Peter and the other apostles demonstrates the power of the Spirit. While they could not always agree on what was happening, they continued to meet and pray and affirmed that God was indeed doing something in their midst.
Key for us - Even if we don’t always agree, we believe God is doing something, even something new. Communal discernment, prayer, and conversation are integral.
Power of Spirit expressed in two ways.
1- Spirit disturbs any status quo, system of power. The Spirit stirs up that which is “frozen/static.” It is by the power of the Spirit that people are made free. Example - Exodus, God’s Spirit parts the waters, making a way for God’s redeemed to cross over.
2- Spirit is that which comforts, brings tranquility in the midst of chaos.
The Spirit scatters and gathers. If we are too busy being gathered, the Spirit may enter and say, “Peace by with you” - “Now Go!”
What does a Spirit driven community look like?
Acts 2:37-42
After Peter’s Pentecost Sermon - “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers and sisters, what should we do?” (38) Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (39) For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” (40) And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” (41) So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. (42) They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Four marks:
- Devoted themselves to teachings of the apostles
- Fellowship
- Breaking of Bread
- Prayers
This is the sermon manuscript from the sermon preached on Sunday, September 1, 2013, the 15th Sunday after Pentecost.
Luke 14:1, 7-14
One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.
Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.
Jesus gets invited to a dinner party. On the surface this seems like an innocuous event. But if we were to spend any amount of time with Luke’s Gospel beyond the sometimes jarring journey that the lectionary takes us on, we would discover that to encounter a story of Jesus at dinner would be a rather common occurrence. In Luke’s Gospel, it seems that to follow Jesus is to follow the food. Jesus seems to be at the table quite a bit in Luke’s story. So on the surface the story we encounter today seems like a common event. But this common event holds an uncommon calling for us who dare to look close.
Jesus, invited to this dinner party, by a Pharisees no less, seems to be out of place. Last week we heard a story of Jesus correcting a leader of the synagogue, perhaps a Pharisees, over the law and what it means to heal on the Sabbath. Two weeks ago we heard about how Jesus came into the world to bring “fire” and conflict. Jesus does not seem to be smart choice for a dinner guest. He does not seem to be one for polite chit-chat over a nice meal. Earlier in Luke’s tale he is accused, and correctly, for dinning with “tax collectors and sinners.” So it seems odd that a ruler of the Pharisees would have Jesus over as a dinner guest. But we do not have to get too far into the story to understand why. And there it is, right there in verse one, “they were watching him closely.”
This is not surprising on multiple levels once we understand the flow of the Luke’s story and its context. Jesus has not been quiet about his ministry and he has not been averse to butting heads with the Pharisees and other religious leaders over their lifestyle and understanding of the law. So far in Luke’s story, Jesus has not received any death threats, but he is being watched very closely. He has caught the eyes of those in power. He is upsetting the balance and must be monitored. And that’s not an uncommon reality. Those who upset the status quo are watched closely. Martin Luther was watched closely by Rome and the German princes. Martin Luther King Jr. had his phone tapped by the F.B.I.. So take heed, if your are going to speak out against those in power. Be prepared to be watched.
The historical context of this story is also important. Luke’s world was different than ours on some level. While on the surface this dinner party seems to be a rather unremarkable event to us (its just supper), meals were a complex web of social rules and realities in the ancient world. Meals were an opportunity to demonstrate power and privilege. The guest list and the seating chart were statements of who was in power. The Roman world in which Jesus lived was dictated by patronage and reciprocity. Everyone from the emperor in Rome to the lowest peasant in the farthest village of the empire were bound in the same system of gift and obligation. If someone gave you a gift or invited you to a meal, you were bound by cultural ethics to return the favor. Where you sat at the table had everything to do with your status and influence. Meals in the ancient world were extremely political events. So this simple dinner party came with large strings attached. And it makes the story that Luke tells even more radical.
This morning we get two stories from Jesus, two bits of social advice that he offers to those gathered around the table. The first one deals with how you pick your seat at a banquet. It is on the surface a rather simple reminder; “don’t overstep your status.” It seems to play right into the cultural context of his time. If you over step your status, you will be shamed into taking a lower seat and your influence will take a hit. Better to be safe than sorry. Better to take a lower seat in hopes that you will be called forward, and thus honored, in front of the other guests. It seems simple. But remember, Jesus is in a room full of Pharisees, a group of whom he has been very critical in the past.
Just a few chapters ago Jesus very publicly decried the Pharisees, stating “Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.” This call to take a lower seat is about humility and not exploiting your power. The Pharisees seemed to be notorious in Luke’s Gospel for overstepping their call, playing into the cultural script and forgetting whom they have been empowered to serve. This call to humility is a critical reminder to those whom Jesus is reclining at the table with to not play into the social constructs of the day and to remember the humble role to which they are called. Do not play to the honor rules of the culture for you are already honored by God as a member of God’s kingdom.
The second story turns the tables on another complex of power that Jesus knew very well. This is known as the patronage system. The patronage system of the ancient world was a gift-obligation construct that governed the lives of all in Jesus’ day and it was a corrupt display of power. This was a system that benefited only those in power, yet was the norm for everyday life. By the rules you only invited those who could return the favor. To risk inviting someone who could not would be to invite a potential lose of status. These are the rules of the world, but this is not how God’s kingdom operates. God’s kingdom turns this way of life upside down.
In God’s kingdom, God is the ultimate benefactor(patron). All gifts flow from God and are given freely to all people. We are all connected through God’s gifts. The ultimate gift is the new life we have in Jesus Christ. We are joined into this kingdom through Christ’s death and given new life to fully participate. The story from Luke this morning invites us to a radical reversal of the table hospitality we demonstrate in this world. If God has invited all to the table, who are we to set limits of our own? This story invites us to take risks in our lives as disciples. The guest list includes those who cannot repay us. This list invites us to dream of what the world could look like if we embodied God’s kingdom.
Our brother Martin Luther was a dreamer. He saw a broken world and a broken church that had pushed the poor and marginalized away from the table. Luther, inspired by what he found in scripture and by the radical love of God’s kingdom, used his life to re-imagine the world around him. He was a risk-taker for the sake of the Gospel and for the sake of God’s love for the world.
Our brother Martin King was a dreamer. This week we commemorated the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. King’s famous “I Have A Dream Speech.” King saw the broken world and imagined what it could look like if we embodied God’s kingdom. We have inherited the torch of imagining what the world could look like if we embodied the radical hospitality of God.
If we clutch with tight fists to old rubrics of power and control we will never see the potential of God’s kingdom realized. This radical display of kingdom hospitality was put on show for the world to see on the cross when God turned an instrument of state sanctioned death into a symbol of new life for all people. The cross is the beginning of God’s kingdom realized in the world. The cross symbolizes new life, given freely to all people. This is the hospitality of God’s kingdom; new life given freely for all people. A kingdom where the table is set for all people regardless of status or privilege. A kingdom where we turn our buildings inside out on a weekly basis as we seek to embody the cruciform life of Christ in our lives. A kingdom where walls that divide are turned into life giving tables where cultures intersect to share a meal.
I have heard stories of communities of faith tossing bread over the walls at the boarder between Texas and Mexico in an international display of solidarity and an embodiment of the table of God’s kingdom. The table fellowship that Jesus calls us to does not know or understand boarders. As Bishop Hanson said in his Sunday sermon last July at the national youth gathering “you don’t need a green card to come to this table.” This kingdom hospitality calls us to be dreamers and to image a world that looks like God’s kingdom. This radical kingdom hospitality calls us to take risks for the sake of the Gospel.
Friends in Christ, I have a dream. I have a dream that every time we gathered for worship we would spend time gathered around God’s table to be refreshed and renewed for our kingdom work in the world. I have a dream that this faith community, that we, the people of Bethany, would be a church of risk-takers for the sake of the Gospel. That we would be risk-takers for the sake of love. I have a dream that our time spent around God’s table would help us to re-imagine the world around us as God’s kingdom. I have a dream that we would be dreamers open to the movement of the spirit and the radical hospitality of God’s kingdom.
