Early Pentecost sermon: Singing a more beautiful song

Pentecost: Singing a more beautiful song

              Two of the earliest writings in Western Civilization that folk still read from time to time, are Homer’s Odyssey and Apollonius’ Jason and the Argonauts. Both are sailor stories, and both Jason and Odysseus had to deal with a similar, mythical, problem—the Sirens. These were half-bird half-woman monsters who sang songs that led sailors to their doom.

              Odysseus survived his encounter with the Sirens by plugging up the crew’s ears with bees’ wax so they couldn’t hear their seductive song.

              Jason chose a different tact, he had the ship’s musician, Orpheus, play a more beautiful song, so the crew paid attention to that song, instead of the siren’s song.

              And we as Christians have always been surrounded by many seductive voices and songs, and we have a choice to make, we could crawl under a rock and not listen, stuff bees wax in our ears, and at least we would not be tempted—in fact, this is the impulse of the early church prior to Pentecost and has been the de facto stance of many Christian movements throughout history.

              Alternatively, Christians are called to sing a more beautiful song. This is the voice of Pentecost, the voice of so many moments in Christianity that have blossomed and grown fruit!

              There is within us an impulse to take our story and run off into the desert and hide it, separate ourselves from the culture so as not to be contaminated
and the impulse to tell our story so well and so often that the whole culture hears it and is enraptured.
Bees wax or beauty!

              When it comes to Pentecost—The Spirit calls us to sing a more beautiful song!

Pray

              The Spirit calls us to sing a more beautiful song!

              Do you hear that song that the Sadducees are singing? Temple! Temple! Temple!

              Do you hear that song the Pharisees are singing? Separation! Separation! Separation!

              Do you hear the song the Zealots are singing? Death to Rome! Death to Rome! Death to Rome!

              Do you hear the song the Romans are singing? Hail Divine Caesar! Hail Divine Caesar! Hail Divine Caesar!

              That is the clangor of the world!

-Trust structures and trust buildings!

-Find self-righteousness in polarization and separation!

-Violence is the solution!

-Make leaders, of any sort, into gods!

              Those are the songs of this world.

              And those Christians holed up in the upper room. They close their ears, like Odysseus’ crew, hang close to one another, just hoping no one notices them, that they are safe, that they won’t be drawn to any of those foreign and unfaithful refrains!

              And then comes another song, the sound of wind, which takes them up like a Saxophone, Clarinet, or Flute. The Spirit plays them with such finesse that their song touches souls from all across the known world: Elamites from out East and Romans from the West, Egyptians to the South and Pontic Greeks in the North.

              To Temple, Separation, Death, and Divinity—the Christians begin to sing a prophetic and saving song:

“Christ is the temple for all people, he is the prince of peace, our Divine Lord.”

              Like Jason they sing a more beautiful song:

              To the Sadducees—Christ is the Temple.

              To the Pharisees—Christ is for all people!

              To the Zealots—Christ is the prince of Peace

              To the Romans—Christ is Divine Lord!

“Christ is the temple, for all people, he is the prince of peace, our Divine Lord.”

              What a beautiful song! What an amazing song! Can you believe that everyone is called to sing it? Sons and daughters, young and old, men and women, enslaved and freed! The Spirit sings through them all!

              And continues to Sing—When we read through the book of Acts—(and I encourage all of you to do that, it is a worthwhile and wonderful read)—we see Paul run up against songs that compete with the Christian song—economic songs, political and national songs, and religious songs—that all are jangling discord next to the true song sung by the Spirit on Pentecost!

              And to those small compromises for economic gain, the confusion of identities that Rome encourages, and idolatry of any sort—the Holy Spirit responds with a more beautiful song
—Justice, only Justice shall you practice!
You are heirs of God, siblings of Christ!
Worship God alone!

              And I wonder today, what Songs the Spirit is calling us to sing?

              Surely our world still sings:

-songs of temple,

-songs of separation,

-songs of violence,

-songs of false messiahs.

              Surely our world still has economic, national / political, and religious songs that seduce us to this very days!

              How do we sing a more beautiful song?

              Sing that where two or three are gathered, there he is!

              Sing that in Christ there is no east or west, in Christ no north or south!

              Sing that he is the Prince of Peace!

              Sing that for him alone every knee shall bow!

              Sing that God’s generosity is our own!

              Sing that the Spirit is poured out on ALL flesh!

              Sing that we have a Spirit of Adoption and are God’s Children!

              Holy Spirit come, that we might sing a more beautiful song!

              Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord!

              Come, holy Light, guide divine!

              Come holy Fire, comfort true!

              Holy Spirit come, that we might sing a more beautiful song!

              Alleluia! Alleluia!