The Sermon
By The Revd Alison Wragg.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all
our hearts be acceptable unto you O, Lord our rock and
our redeemer. Amen.
Today we are celebrating the Feast of Pentecost, the
coming of the promised Holy Spirit. Our reading from Acts
this morning describes Pentecost in the most expansive
way... all the stops on the organ are out, so to speak. We
hear of a heavenly sound like the rushing wind,
descending fire and patterns of transformed speech.
Pentecost is a pregnant moment in the life of the people
of God and in the relationship between those people and
God. It is the moment when gestation ceases and birthing
begins. It is both an end and a beginning, the leaving
behind of that which is past and the launching forth into
something new. Pentecost is the birth of the church and
is often referred to as the churches birthday.
I remember as a little girl growing up in Crookes, that it
was also known as Whitsuntide or Whit Sunday. I
remember always wearing my best summer dress and
new ankle socks and sandals for the occasion. I remember
the sandals vividly.
They had a leather top and crape soles. We would parade
from church, which for me at that time was St Thomas’ to
Weston Park for the celebrations there. I guess some of
you here this morning can remember this too.
The lectionary readings over the last seven weeks have
been preparing us for this moment. Twice, in connection
with Jesus’ ascension, the coming of the Holy Spirit has
been promised... in Acts chapter 1, v8 it says, “you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”
That promise is now realised in a manner far surpassing
the expectation of even the most faithful disciples.
The coming of the Holy Spirit brings new life for the
church. New life for individuals within the church. New
life through the Spirit of God. No one present is excluded
from this display of God’s grace. Unlike other important
moments in the history of God’s mighty acts of salvation,
the transfiguration being an example, only the inner few
are witnesses to the work of God’s Spirit. But at Pentecost
everyone is included. It is a moment of inclusiveness.
Notice that with the coming of the Spirit the diverse
individual languages of those present are not abolished in
favour of a single common language.
Those gathered continue to speak different languages but
can now be understood by one another. As one of the
pivotal events in the formation of the early Christian
church, this remains important for the church today. The
church should be a place where we rejoice in our
diversity, as we are brought together in community.
In the Acts reading the barriers between different
geographical identities are broken down. As a ‘Pentecost
people’ we are united with our neighbours whether they
are close by here in Walkley or are across the world.
Over the last seven days we have been supporting
Christian Aid week 2024. The theme has been ‘pushing
back against poverty.’ The focus has been on a lady called
Aline and the people of Burundi, the smallest country in
Africa. In Burundi more than 70% of the population live in
poverty.
In the areas where Christian Aid work people without
their own small business or income will typically head out
on an empty stomach each morning. They must look for
casual work to buy food for that evening. Most only eat
once a day and how much they eat depends on the work
they find that day. Making plans for the future is
impossible when you can’t make plans beyond the day.
This was the situation Aline found herself in when an
early marriage ended in abuse and violence. Separated
from her children, she was forced to sleep on the streets
of Burundi. Hungry, scorned and alone, Aline was pushed
to the brink of survival, but her life was about to change.
Aline’s love for her children drove her to transform her
life. Her first step back from the brink came when she
participated in a three-day community workshop with
Christian Aid funded trainers. Aline learnt how to
establish a steady income and make long term plans. She
says, “I came out with amazing knowledge and skills. The
trainer restored a sense of hope and energy in me.”
With a small start-up loan, Aline started trading avocados
and peanuts locally. With her profits, she bought a bicycle
so she could transport greater quantities of goods to
markets further afield. Eventually, her hard work had
earned the money she needed to rent a house and be
reunited with her three eldest sons.
Aline's faith has guided and comforted her through the
darkest of times. She says, “We pray together as we are
still alive thanks to God's grace.
God comforts you through troubled times and gives you
hope for a better future. With God's help you can
overcome obstacles and be victorious.”
The small grocery business that Aline built not only pays
for a home for her and her children, but food, clothes and
essential healthcare too. Aline's also purchased solar
panels so her children can do their evening homework by
electric light, and further their education. Aline's home is
a sanctuary for her and her children. A place where they
can nurture their ambitions and make plans for the
future. A home filled with prayer and praise.
Burundi continues to be one of the toughest places on
earth to live. The future is uncertain, and challenges wait
for families like Aline's around every corner. As the
climate crisis deepens, people in Burundi find themselves
in an increasingly precarious position in the face of the
droughts, floods and landslides that are becoming more
frequent.
Burundi's fragile economy is built on agriculture, and
many homes are built of unbaked mud bricks. Extreme
weather undermines the stability of both, often with
devastating consequences.
When a ferocious storm destroyed Aline's home, almost
killing her and her children, she was able to recover by
selling the cows she'd been keeping. Now when a crisis
threatens her family's survival, Aline has options. Even a
small business can provide just enough resources to
weather a brutal storm in Burundi.
Today, Aline's using her experience to help 25 other
families in her community to build their resilience. And
she's baking her own bricks to build a strong home for her
and her children in every sense. Aline’s story really is a
story of hope, of God’s Holy Spirit at work throughout the
world.
The Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as the Counselor,
or Comforter or Helper. In our reading this morning from
John’s gospel the Holy Spirit is identified as the Advocate.
The Advocate being the one who comes in place of Jesus
and who enables testimony on Jesus’ behalf.
Of course it is not just Burundi where people continue to
live in poverty. Poverty is present in many places in the
world including on our doorsteps here in Sheffield.
We as disciples of Christ who shine the light of Christ into
the world are called to be advocates for people who live
in poverty... for those people who live on the margins of
society in our city. We are called to shout out for those
who are powerless to speak for themselves. We must
shout out for the day when everyone has all they need...
then we can say truly the kingdom of God has come.
Aline said that the three-day training she had in the
community workshop by the Christian Aid funded trainers
had restored a sense of hope and energy in her. This is
what happens at Pentecost. It’s no inner mystical
experience but it is an outpouring of God’s energy that
ripples across the world and touches and reaches out to
every life.
Imagine throwing a stone into a calm, still pond. There is
a splash of energy and then watch the ripples gently
move across the water until they flow to the edge and out
into the world.
I wish you all a Pentecost filled with God’s Spirit and
energy...
Amen.