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| Image by Capt. Spaulding |
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A GREETING
Hear a just cause, O God; attend to my cry;
give ear to my prayer.
(Psalm 17:1)
A READING
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through 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 those who have been enslaved, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy."
(Acts 2:14-18)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Do not fear, O soil;
be glad and rejoice,
for the Lord has done great things!
Do not fear, you animals of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit,
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
(Joel 2:21-22)
A POEM
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
- from "Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou
VERSE OF THE DAY
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
(Joel 2:26b)
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| Image by Capt. Spaulding |
In the silence that follows the cacophony of the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter finds himself talking about what this means, and in true Peter fashion, is doing so before he completely understands it himself. Instead, he turns to the Hebrew Scriptures. In Peter's time, the disciples and apostles would have an oral memory of the sacred texts and could likely recite much of them by heart. What comes forward for him is the prophet Joel, who had predicted that “in the last days,” there would be a time when those who normally would not have power or voice, would suddenly have a chance to speak and be heard.
Among those who are listed as likely prophets, Joel includes people who have been enslaved. And Peter does not leave that verse out, though some lectionary readings do.
Both the time of Joel and the era of the first Pentecost gathering in the upper room were times of slavery. People were enslaved in many ways and from many strata of society and for many reasons. Captured Jewish people, non-religious Romans born into the wrong household, slaves traded from one family to another, are among the many enslaved peoples whom the Spirit says will have a chance to prophesy.
When we think of Pentecost, how much do we think of wanting to hear from those on the margins? How much do we think to turn to the people whose voices have been silenced and say to them, ‘now is your time, the spirit is prompting us to listen to you?’
The twentieth century American black theologian James Cone, writing in his book The Cross and the Lynching Tree, makes a direct relationship between the Christianity of white supremacy and the history of lynching, a form of torturous death for racialized peoples that was especially adopted during the eras between the American civil war and the the modern civil Rights movement in the southern United States — but which, unfortunately, continues in other forms today as random killing. In her poem, Maya Angelou describes the difference between the song of a bird that is caged and a bird that is free. Yesterday we heard about research that points to the evidence that birds sleep and dream and even sing in their sleep, in an ongoing anxiety about the security of the nest and the well-being of the nestlings. Building on Angelou's image, the caged bird who sings, even in their sleep, cannot dream of freedom until we actually stop and listen. In the other verses of Joel, we hear how a world restored and just also brings with it the promise of a renewed Creation. Making right relationships with other human beings means it is even more likely that we will have right relationships with all created things.
Peter is calling the disciples and apostles to unchain those who have been chained, and to listen to the prophetic wisdom of those who have not been free. He makes a direct relationship between the coming of the Holy Spirit and the call to expand our awareness and to listen to what we normally prefer not to hear.
He is able to make this connection because of the time he has spent with Jesus. When he last saw him, the resurrected Jesus was preparing breakfast on the beach. Jesus said to Peter then, ‘feed my sheep, love my flock.’ In the Upper Room, the Spirit is teaching the disciples and us, that there can be no love without listening.
Who are the voices we least want to hear from?
Who in our communities could be invited to prophesy?
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A STORY OF FRIENDSHIP
Thirteen years ago, on a small coastal lake in northwestern Turkey, a stork landed on a fisherman's boat. Though the fisherman did not have much, and needed to catch more, he fed the stork many fish from his net. The stork came back every day after that. Each time the man fed it. The relationship moved to land, where the stork found the man's house. Every winter, the stork migrated and each spring it returned, to settle in the same place near the man's house and his boat. The fisherman, named Adem, named the stork Yaren, and when Yaren found a mate, they built a nest on his property. The stork learned to know his name and could come when bid. Out on the open water, when the man had surplus for the day, he would call out Yaren's name, despite that he was miles from shore, and the stork would seem to appear out of nowhere. Hearing about these two, a photographer came and took pictures. They became famous. Soon tourists arrived to see the man and the stork. And if all of this sounds like a children's tale, it has became one, and also an animated film, coming out later this year. The man, who lived alone, gave more than was in his means, and the stork has brought him happiness. Yaren means companion. Read the story here.
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| Image by Ivor Prickett/NYTimes |
LC† Awakened by the Spirit is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!