Dustin Lyon · Pentecost Sermon 2020
Sunday of Holy Pentecost
We’re all familiar with the icon of Pentecost—we see it every year at this time. When we look at it, we see 12 men sitting in a half-circle. Above them, we see a flash of lightning in the sky and the Holy Spirit, in the form of light beams, descending upon them. At the bottom of the icon, in a doorway, is a mysterious man holding a white sheet with 12 scrolls. For most of us, we probably just assume that this is a biblical scene, one right out of today’s reading from Acts (2:1-11). But, there are a few big differences … not to mention the mystery identity of the man at the bottom.
If we compare the identity of the 12 apostles seated in the circle with the story as it is in Acts, our first problem arises. Though Paul is a major figure in the book of Acts, at the time of Pentecost, he wasn’t in attendance, let alone a Christian. In fact, he would soon begin persecuting and murdering Christians. So, why is he here? What does he represent?
The second problem with the icon is the identity of the mysterious old man at the bottom, often standing in a rounded doorway. Who is he? We can see he’s holding multiple scrolls, but what do they represent? What sort of words do they contain? Do these scrolls contain words of wisdom or of judgment?
For those who have Googled “Pentecost icon,” you may have noticed that the earliest icons of Pentecost lack the old man in the doorway. In his place, these early icons had an empty doorway, or a crowd of foreigners, or even monsters. There’s even a monastery in Serbia that has the icon of Pentecost painted on its walls, but it’s arranged in such a way that a window, which looks out beyond the monastery grounds, becomes the doorway where we’d typically find the old man. So, what does this doorway represent? Are there different meanings to the icon, depending on who or what is in the doorway?
And, most importantly, what does Pentecost and this icon have to say to us today? As I hope to make clear, it has a lot to say to us, especially in a post 9/11 world struggling with a pandemic, financial and economic recessions, climate catastrophes, class inequality, access to healthcare for everyone, gender discrimination, and racism.
Scripture: John 7:37-52; 8:12 (click to read)
Bottom Line: In Christ, outsiders become family.
Moving Forward
There are two quotes from today’s Gospel reading that I think pull everything together for us.
Now on the feast’s final day—its great day—Jesus stood up and called out loudly, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let him drink. Whoever has faith in me, just as scripture has said, ‘Out of his inner parts streams of living water will flow.’” (John 7:37-38)
And
Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the cosmos; whoever follows me most surely will not walk in darkness, but rather will possess the light of life.” (John 8:12)
I want to emphasize the inclusiveness of Jesus’s words. He does not say, “If anyone in Israel is thirsty …” Nor does he say, “If a Judean follows me …” No! Instead, he says, “Anyone” and “Whoever.” Jesus sends an invite to all peoples, in all places, at all times.
This is born out by the events we read about in Acts. When the Holy Spirit descends upon a gathering of people from all around the world, they find themselves speaking in their own languages, yet they all understand one another. By following Jesus, God has made them all one family. In Christ, there is unity in multiplicity.
Jesus is the key to quenching everyone’s thirst and lighting the path for all peoples. This is our key to understanding the Pentecost icon.
As we noticed, Paul is present in the icon, but not in the event as described in Acts. As we know, Peter and Paul are often used to symbolize the unity of the church. Peter often represents the Judean side of the church and Paul represents the Gentile side. Together, each with their own expression of Christianity, they are the one Body of Christ. The presence of Paul in the icon reinforces the idea that Christ is Lord of all nations.
The doorway also plays on this theme. Originally, it was just an empty doorway. It was waiting for us—who now have received the Holy Spirit—to go out and extend Christ’s invite to the rest of the world.
In time, the doorway becomes filled with a crowd of foreigners, those to whom we are sent. Even when it’s filled with monsters, it’s symbolic of all nations becoming one family in Christ, because no matter how completely different someone is—even if they look like a “monster”—they too can become a Christ-follower, a sibling in Christ.
Eventually, artists begin to fill the doorway with an old man. A manuscript from the 17th-century explains that this man represents all peoples of the world and thus his name is “Cosmos.” The darkness around him is a world without faith. His age symbolizes the weariness of sin. His crown represents our sins and his red garment is the devil’s blood sacrifices. In his hands he holds a white cloth with 12 scrolls that represent the apostles who are about to bring light to the world.
This “Cosmos” man represents our future: our hope that everyone is united in Christ. It’s our expectation that we will one day be able to call strangers, brothers and sisters. This is why that Serbian monastery made their window into the icon’s doorway. Through the window is the outside world where we encounter those who are different than us, yet, in Christ, we recognize that they are family.
Today, our world is filled with all sorts of beautiful folks: people of different races, different classes, different life experiences, different expectations. But, it’s our duty, as Christians, to see them as a part of God’s family.
If Pentecost has anything to teach us, it’s that we are obliged to sit and hear what they have to say. It’s no accident that Acts says that even though everyone spoke a different language, they all understood each other. Our life in Christ empowers us to hear the different “languages” being spoken today.
We hear the cry of “Black Lives Matter.” We hear the cry of women as they say “Me Too.” We hear the cry of the store owner who has been looted by rioters. We hear the cry of those “Occupying Wall Street.” We can hear the cry of the family struggling to find food amidst a recession. We hear the cry of the person who’s living in fear of dying from COVID. We hear the cry of a young generation who’s worried about the environmental problems they’ll inherit.
We hear the cry of those who aren’t like us. The Holy Spirit lets us hear their individual voices and we understand what they’re saying. And, by hearing their cry, we become brothers and sisters. United through diversity, we all become God’s family.
Changing Your Mind
“Jesus stood up and called out loudly, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let him drink.’” (John 7:37)