Acts 2:1-4, 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 - May 19, 2024 - Pentecost Sunday

JONAH: Today is Youth Sunday at St. Philip. Many of the youth here at St. Philip are helping to lead the service. I get to help with the sermon. Yes, I get to help. Someone wouldn’t let me do the whole thing! 

It is also Pentecost Sunday when we remember that the Holy Spirit came and rested like fire on the disciples’ heads. Also on Pentecost, we have the tradition of talking about the stained glass windows in our sanctuary. 

The biggest one we have is about 30 feet tall and has Jesus on it. It also has many symbols that remind us of Jesus’ life, suffering, death, and victory. I will let Dad - ahem, I mean, “Pastor Jason” - tell you about the first window. 

JASON: Jesus is holding a shield which has NIKA on it, a Greek word which means “victor.” Near his right foot, there is the book with the four crosses, symbolizing the four Gospel narratives about Jesus. And over at the other foot is a lamp, reminding us that Jesus is the light of the world - guidance and hope in our times of darkness. Up the left side is a pillar, much like the poles they used to strap prisoners to when they were whipping them, reminding us of Jesus’ suffering. And on the right is a vine going up the entire right side, reminding us of Jesus’ words, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” At the top is the cross and crown - The cross represents Jesus' sacrificial death for the redemption of humanity, while the crown signifies the glory and honor bestowed upon him by God. 

JONAH: That is the window that will be the focus when we finish our sanctuary renovations. It is big and beautiful, but it is not the only window we have. There are more! There are also these windows on my left or your right. These are the Trinity windows - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They each tell us something about God. 

JASON: Father, with the star of David, and the eye and hand showing us that God sees and gives everything. And then, if you look just right, the words along the bottom, “I am who I am.”

The Son, with the lamb carrying the victory banner and the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, reminds us that Jesus is the beginning and the end.

And the Holy Spirit - with an image of a Bible up top. God calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies through the Word. Then a dove at the bottom, much like the Spirit descended as a dove at Jesus’ baptism. 

JONAH: The windows on the other side talk about the seasons of the church year from Advent and Christmas and Epiphany, to Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. 

JASON: We start on the left with Advent and Christmas with the manger and a shepherd’s crook. Moving to the right we have a Star and Three Crowns for Epiphany. We keep going and we get to a cross in the middle with a crown of thorns for Lent and Holy Week. Then a butterfly at the top - a symbol of resurrection with lilies down below. And finally, the last window is the Pentecost window with flames stretching through this window and into the other panels. Fire, fire like the tongues of flame we heard about in our story from Acts. 

JONAH: We also have some paintings behind the lectern and pulpit. They were painted to look like the rest of the stained glass windows. One of the pictures reminds us about one of the sacraments: communion. The other reminds us of the Gospel stories from the Bible. 

JASON: Word and sacrament. Go with the one that is a little easier to understand first - the one that has communion elements on it. There is the chalice and host, grapes and wheat - fruit from the earth, given by God’s hands. 

Then on the other side, we have the four authors of the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They are often represented by their symbols: the Winged Man or Angel for Saint Matthew (Jesus incarnate, his humanity), the Lion for Saint Mark (kingly, royalty), the Ox for Saint Luke (service and sacrifice), and the Eagle for Saint John (lofty themes, high Christology, Jesus is the name above every name).

JONAH: We have these beautiful stained glass windows in our church. They remind us of God's story, teachings, and love when we look at them. But on Pentecost Sunday, the lessons are about the Holy Spirit - not stained glass windows. It is hard to see the Holy Spirit. 

JASON: I started talking about the stained glass windows on Pentecost because of that problem. We like things we can see, touch, taste, and feel - things like the sacraments, communion and baptism. They help us see and feel God's love because we can hold them in our hands. The windows are like that, too. They're something we can see; when we see them, they remind us of God and God’s love. 

JONAH: Well, sometimes the Holy Spirit is easy to see. Like in our story from Acts. The Holy Spirit really shows up! I guess that is like when the sun is shining through these windows. It is bright and beautiful and we can really sense God’s presence. But we don’t always see a lot of flames and gusty wind. 

JASON: Even though we don’t see flames on people’s heads, or have mighty winds, or have people speak in tongues, the Holy Spirit is still present., even when we don’t notice it. LIke Paul tells us in First Corinthians, the Spirit comes in a variety of ways and gifts, it comes through us working together, it comes even when we don’t see it. 

JONAH: We know and trust that the Spirit is always with us, even when we don't notice it. It works through people and helps us, even when we're unsure. It's like the windows—they're always there, telling us the story, even if we forget. And even when the sun isn’t shining brightly through them, they are still there. We may not notice them and it may not impress us as much, but that doesn’t mean they are not there. The Spirit guides us, even in hard times, and reminds us of God's promise.

JASON: Sometimes God’s love is grand and beautiful, like a bright, shining, 30-foot tall Christ window. You can’t miss it. Sometimes God’s love seems to blend into the background. But either way, like our stained glass windows, God’s love is always there. 

JONAH: May God keep sending us the Spirit to remind us in ways bright and grand, subtle and small, that we are God’s own and loved forever. Amen.