It must have been amazing for the disciples to be in the presence of Jesus. Here was someone who could show them what life in the Kingdom of God looked like. Through watching Jesus and learning from Him, the disciples could see that there was a difference between how the world was and how it was meant to be. As Jesus fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked and included those that society had excluded, the disciples were able to see a different way to live; the way God wanted them to live. Now that Jesus has left them to return to God, how can the disciples continue to witness to this different way of life? How can they be shown the gap between how thigs are and how things are meant to be without the presence of Jesus at their side? Fortunately, they are not going to be left alone in the dark to work this out for themselves.
Today we celebrate Pentecost, a day when the church remembers receiving the gift of the Spirit. As Jesus had promised them, once He returned to God, He would send them the Spirit to lead them, empower them, and show them all the things Jesus had done while He was with them. Just as Jesus came to them from God and showed them how God wanted them to live, so would the Spirit. The Spirit would guide them, teach them, comfort them and resource them just like Jesus did when He was physically with them. It’s almost like the passing of a relay baton, the church moves forward into the next chapter of their ministry with the Spirit as the ongoing presence of God with them rather than Jesus.
This is what we celebrate today. As the church in this place, we have been gifted with the Spirit to show us that the way the world is at present is not the way it is meant to be. Thanks to the Spirit we have our hearts opened to the need of those around us rather than simply ignoring or overlooking them. It is the Spirit that lights the fire of compassion in us and empowers us to help those around us as Jesus did. It is the Spirit that links us to God so we know the call of God upon us and it is the Spirit that brings our prayers to God, even when we cannot articulate them ourselves. We are fortunate to have the Spirit with us as it places us in a similar position to those first disciples that had Jesus with them. We have been gifted with a helper, a counsellor, a comforter and a guide. May we give thanks to God for this amazing gift, joining the thanks of the church throughout history. May our hearts be set on fire for the ongoing mission of God just like those first disciples in that upper room all those years ago.