Today is Pentecost, the end of the Easter season and the day
the church was born as the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples and followers
of Jesus like tongues of fire!
we discussed how this experience of lockdown has mirrored
the season of Lent, Easter and now Pentecost.
The world, we mused, has been forced into a place of isolation, waiting and not knowing
much like the disciples were as they travelled through the experiences of the
Passover and Jesus’ death and the uncertain waiting time between his rising again and the
coming power of the Holy Spirit.
And
just as the disciples were sent out by God with the power from Heaven a number
of us yesterday expressed a sense of God stirring in our own lives – an
expectancy, a sense of being prepared and made ready to be sent out for
something new and exciting.
We read together the words of the passage in John…
Again
Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed
on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do
not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
John 20 verse19-23
A number of us were struck and slightly perturbed by the
last words here where Jesus says – If you forgive, sins are forgiven, if not,
then they are not forgiven.
This of
course does not make sense when put alongside the teaching of Jesus about the many
times we should forgive someone who offends us in some way.
So what is Jesus really saying here?
After a time of stillness and reflection what came to me was
a sense of Jesus showing that he had confidence in the wisdom and judgement of
his disciples.
Jesus is calling them onward
and outward – “I am sending you…receive the Holy Spirit” Know my peace. Receive
my breath. I trust you. I am giving you authority.
You have listened to my preaching, watched me
healing and praying and loving and struggling, dying and rising again. You have participated
in all of this – you have earned your stripes and now I am giving the work over
to you and I trust you to do the right thing.
I trust you to forgive.
You know
my gospel, go out and share it; go out and live it.
I feel that God is saying the same thing to me – you have
journeyed with me through many struggles and a time of waiting and wondering,
not knowing but now - receive my peace,
receive my breath, receive my power through the Holy Spirit – go on out and do
what I have called you to do – have courage – I trust you.
I feel the excitement and joy of knowing that God trusts me and delights in what he has prepared in me. Yes, I believe God is saying this to me.
Might God also be saying the same to you?
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