I saw an interesting commercial on TV the other day. It was one of those public service announcements and it showed a variety of people wrapped in the flag. They were young and old, black, white, Asian and Hispanic, famous and anonymous. The central message of the spot was that we should remember the meaning behind the flag we’ve been waving lately. It ends with the statement, “If there isn’t liberty and justice for ALL, then it’s not America!”

A similar message is central to what we celebrate on Pentecost. “If the Spirit of God isn’t for EVERYONE, then it’s not the Church!” The writer of the book of Acts goes out of his way to describe a scene which is both wildly exuberant and radically inclusive. There is wind and fire and a cacophony of sound. There is confusion and there is clarity. The message seems clear -- when God’s Spirit comes among us, it cannot be controlled and new life will burst forth. But even more significantly, when this new life bursts forth, it breaks down all barriers and crosses all borders. In short, God’s Spirit brings new life to everyone. We see this first in the list of people who find themselves attracted to this event. The list of places from which they had come represents the four corners of the then-known world. But just in case we missed that point, we find Peter quoting from the prophet Joel. “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.” (Acts 2:17-18) Young and old, men and women, slave and free! God’s Spirit will be poured out on ALL flesh. It is just that simple and it is just that radical. New life through the gift of God’s Spirit -- not just for a chosen few, but for any and all who will receive it. Freely given. Wildly distributed. Powerfully transformative. That is what we celebrate on Pentecost.

John’s Gospel is more soft spoken when it comes to describing the gift of God’s Spirit, but it is no less radical in scope. Following his resurrection, Jesus comes among his disciples and greets them with a message of peace. This is no casual, off-handed word of hello. It is the promise of God’s peace which stands in stark contrast with the fear which had invaded the disciples’ lives. “Peace be with you,” represents God’s desire for our living. But he doesn’t stop there. He goes on to give them a mission. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21) Jesus’ mission becomes our mission -- to share God’s love and God’s grace with the world. But we are not left to our own devices in fulfilling this mission. We are given nothing less than the power of God’s own Spirit. “He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ ” (John 20:22) This language is not accidental. In both Greek and Hebrew, the word for wind or breath is the same word used for spirit. God’s Spirit is as close as our breath. But receiving this gift of new life carries with it the weight of responsibility as well. It is not enough that we receive the gift. We also need to make sure that others share in the gift as well. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:23) This is not a command, but a warning. It is our mission to share God’s love. If people don’t hear about it from us, where are they supposed to hear it? The good news is that God’s love is for everyone. The danger is that we will fail to tell them the good news. Of course, this means more than just the words we say, but also includes the attitudes we hold and the actions we take. Do our lives declare the truth we have experienced -- God’s Spirit of life and love is alive and loose in the world.

The business of allowing ourselves to be caught up by God’s Spirit and shaped by it’s power is, of course, quite dangerous. As the picture painted for us in Acts 2 indicates, it can be downright explosive. Wind and fire are not forces to be taken lightly. Lives are changed. The world is changed. It means participating in something bigger than ourselves. It means setting aside our preconceived notions of what life ought to look like and being willing to move beyond our comfort zones. It means declaring, as we have, that neither age, race, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, nor anything else bars us from full participation in God’s love in Jesus Christ -- and then actually welcoming the people who take us at our word. God’s Spirit is for EVERYONE -- and that means the status quo has been rendered irrelevant. With God’s Spirit in our lives we are never on our own -- but we are certainly beyond the horizon. We’ve been breathed on -- filled with life -- set on fire -- blown by the wind of God. We’ve been sent out into the world to share that which has been shared with us -- God’s life-giving love and empowering Spirit. If we can’t begin to get excited about that, then we just aren’t paying attention. So, on this day which is filled with images of the Spirit, let us allow our lives to be filled with the reality of the Spirit. Breathe on us, breath of God!