Communion Mediration June 7, 198i

Pablo Casals and his Fther made a sensational discovery one

time .j Rummaging QERWBK about in some very old wai manuscripts
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they came upon six hitherto unkown Suites for Cello by Johann
Sebastion Bach. — ae

The normal sequence following such an important discovery
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would be to rush inte production,} reharse quickly and share this
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priceless treasure with the music-loving world as soon as possible,
med

de ster Gees ° "
Casals did not do that. Instead, e rehatsed the suites, and lived
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with them and discovered their subtleties, and argued with them
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and studied them and rehearsed them over and over = for twelve
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nd _—oeee
years before playing them publically. | tne result confirmed his

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instinet:Jit was th¢ right decision | He alone knew that the
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importance of the task required not sco mucn 4a sense of urgency, as
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patience, discipline, maturity and opportunity for growth.

Sake
This is a lot of that in the grand sweep of Christian
htsegey.| mere is a bit of it at the very beginning - the part
clear ——— CD

of the story that happens immediately after the erucifixjon and re
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resurrection.

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The disciples, apparently, remained in Jerusalem .| . hiding,
—

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waiting for some indication as to what they should do next,

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living with the reality of what they had witnessed, discussing
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it, arguing about it, doubting its authentivity, and perhaps

even rehearsing a bit.

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s a long time in which to do nothing. {The text

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tells us only that the disciples elected another person to take

Fifty days

_— ddiniemmeees

the place of Judas Iscariot. \ Fo the rest, the New Testament

is stlent, except for the fact that they were still in Jerusalem,

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the scene of those momentous events at Passover: that they were
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still in Jerusalem several weeks later.

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And then, The Feast of Weeks, known as Pentecost and the city

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started to fill up with Pilgrims sean, [Tous scattered throughout

the empire, coming home to Jerusalem for the celebration.

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Something incredible happened at Pentecost — after the fifty

day wait. |We have always focused too much on the literary
——— —

symbolism with which the author déscribesthe experience, the
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rushing wind and the tongues of fire.
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2al miracles of Pentecost, as far as T'm concerned, are
a ! EOS :

not the exotic symbols but two things that happened te the

disciples:
—

first, careful, frightened, skeptical people were somehow

transformed into joyful, confident, courageous adherents of
sar,

anew way of life.
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And second ly, the disciples were able to communicate...

Those, it seems to me, are the miracles of Pentecost.

Everyone in the world was there, the author wants us 6
Fn all

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understand. \s carefully constructed list of nationalities in the

text covers the known world. | Suddenly a tiny group of

EE —_—
uneducated, provincial fishermen from Galilie were confronting
ee ag aaa eh

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the entire human rece, | rere, whose last appearance in the
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narration has to do with a cowardly denial, rose to his feet and
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addressed a crowd of several thousand.
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Both, the joyful cut 4 of faith, and the ability to

see
communicate are very rare and very precious. Both Pentecost
ome eoumemmuner SE
suggests, are special gifts of God.

We know what it is like to be without them.

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We know what it feelg like to be down, depressed, empty.
— ain NTT EL AEE sa: tag PPS

We're known days and weeks that are preparatory for nothing
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but just one day after enotner. \ we knew the quiet despair of

XNA XAEERE XNARKK MAEM NTH RUTH XA MENS XM ARBRUKERK
REUREXKREXEWRX RAWH KARA KBEXZERS
"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
”

To the last syllable of recorded time;

Part of the down side of life is always a crisis of faith as well.
— FREER CE ETENTTS

Classical depression is a wet blanket thrown over all the fire

of life,\|when all the senses seem dutted:/ nothing looks very

—_

pretty,| tastes very good or sounds beautiful. | nothing seems toa
re

—_, a al

matter very much - and religious faith, too, becomes perfunctory,
Ol

ony
slightly oem err=ritual...

We know that experience and gratefully its joyful op osite.

—— Purdon

What a precious gift when one's senses are Went: | when

everything matters, |wheta sky is gorgeous and love is almost
EE —

painfully inteng@fand the music on the car radio brings tears ta
i ——— Es

the eyes with its beauty and you can't wait to hug your wife
or husband or friend. 7 four Joa bt 7 fi Daf 5

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"Now no joy but lacks salt Td Sar Framed “

That is not dashed with pain

And weariness and fault;

—_

¥ crave the stain

Of tears, the aftermark

Cf almost too much love, S
The sweet of bitter bark

é
And burning clove.

Pentecost is the day when God gives the intensity of deep,

joyful faith to his church/

Dien nna

We know what it feels like not to be able to communicate too.

Dn mal

What a frustrating experience to say the words and yet not be

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heard. imac a frustration to try to give instructions to someone

who does not speak your language.
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What frustration to realize

that there is no topic you can discuss with son or daughter, because

ernie aap at tememipntemer er

the special miracle of communication has disappeared.

nn,
It is special beauty when it happens. | It is a rare and beautiful
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thing when two people can communicate. When presence, geasture,
a _—
yvaucc
fbeabawee, replaces words and communication becomes a kind of
—_ Oia
spiritual bonding between two people. It is a gift of God to be
—_—_—

celebrated.

The world needs that, Da sense more urgentl at any
ae
other time in history. The wo feparately needs nations
with the ability tesein ational leaders with

the sk communicate.

The promise of Pentecost is that God gives those two gifts to

femmes eae

his church. ( He gave them to an insignificant group of the
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Galitians twenty centuries ago, a group which had no reason under

the sun to do much other than sneak out of Jerusalem, back to

the fishing boats. \He gave them faith and confidence and the
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ability to communicate and if you were there you might have said,

ew

“phig could be the start of something big" ---

—_

And you and I need them - Pentecost is the promise that God

we,
will give them - like the breath of new E ; frie the fire of

deep faith. . .

een,
May it be that way for you today - as we come to table

together .
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

aa pe ec CC

Amen.

Eternal God, we are grateful for the moving of your Spirit in
the church. We are grateful for your gifts, given to your
people every age. As we come to table together this morning,

grant us joy, faith, in Jesus Christ. Amen.