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Spirit Downloads
This Sunday, called Pentecost, is always a new day for the church, a red day when we celebrate a birthday of sorts. And after all the conversations about ascension and rising up, this day is one of powering down, of power descending into our souls as Jesus Christ had promised us. This day the spirit of God settles in our hearts, in our being. A download kind of thing. The Holy Spirit, Jesus’s gift to us, comes down to keep us up with Jesus.
 For sure, the Holy Spirit has been around since creation, the beginning of time, of everything. There are “we” and “our” references throughout the creation story in Genesis - and other times the Holy Spirit had gotten hold of folks in the Old Testament so they could prophesy. But it was and is the most lasting gift Christ left with us until His promised return. Jesus said that this inner fire would be Him in us, and therefore God will be our ever-present counselor, advisor, companion and translator so we don’t have to worry about what to say when the time comes for us to say something. The Holy Spirit will be our voice. Our Word.
In Acts, we read that some 3000 followers who had congregated in Jerusalem, saw tongues of fire coming out of the sky and dancing on each other’s heads. Was that an “ouch” moment? An attack by fireworks? Did folks cover their heads so their hair would not catch fire? It was the first time a holy fire came down from the heavens. Somehow, it was given the name of Pentecost, a Greek word, which originally referred to celebrating the beginning of the early wheat harvest. It was 50 days after the Feast of First fruits which was held for the beginning of the barley harvest.
But our Pentecost was the true invasion of the Holy Spirits among believers. And the impact among those crowded together was that each began to speak in strange tongues, or unfamiliar languages. We don’t know how strange those tongues were - if they were speaking in a secret holy script that only God understands - or if it was that everyone began to speak in their own homeland tongues so it sounded like a babel of gobbledygook to most of them, like the stupor of a drunk, yet all of them got the same message and were amazed they could understand.
In modern times, this whole issue of speaking in holy tongues has stirred up or shut down some churches. It was supposedly a sign of charismatic sensations as a way to know God. Back in the mid 1990s, I had never heard of it. But God always surprises us with what we need to know when we need to know it.
In Uruguay in the 1990s, the Anglican Church was blessed to have its first Bishop. British born William Godfrey. He had his heart in the right place - helping the poor, the hungry, the outcast, the hopeless, a new ministry emphasis in that small nation. Ours became a mission diocese, which upset many of the traditional British congregation, more dedicated to formality, but suddenly the cathedral was being led by charismatic clergy. And, as an extra blessing, my ordaining Bishop was an extraordinary charismatic healer. He and his wife prayed in tongues and healed so many.
At first the restrained Episcopalian I had been, hearing tongues made me nervous, but at the same time there was a comfort in the Bishop’s praying in words I could feel but not interpret. Even my Uruguayan husband, not a church goer but raised in a Pentecostal environment, told me, as I was walking toward ordination, that if I did not speak in tongues, I was not chosen for God’s covey. Boy! I started speaking in tongues right there in the bed. It just came to me. And, luckily, at that time, I was taking the required “Getting the Holy Spirit” classes led by a rather scruffy Anglican Australian priest who further insinuated what my husband had said: if I was truly indwelled with the Holy Spirit, I would speak in tongues.
I guess the Holy Spirit downloaded in me, because, after an identifying burst into giggles of holy joy, truly, odd words blurted out of my mouth without any of my own control. It sounded like no language I had ever heard. You can imagine with my 1940s and 50s conservative upbringing in Memphis, this all shocked me. I had never been religiously demonstrative, no lifting and waving arms and hands, no drawing attention to me, and I had just then in Uruguay found the courage to pray on the spot without clutching the Book of Common Prayer. I guessed this meant the Holy Spirit was present in me and I had a job to do. Tongues were pouring out of my heart and mouth, and I hoped it was really the Holy Spirit thing. Although I don’t go there today - sometimes I wonder if I should - it is a holy language supposedly a direct line with God, and not people. It is pure praise to the Father. St. Paul explained it as one gift among many possible gifts.
When one attends charismatic or evangelical services in which the pastor exuberantly calls forth all those in the congregation who feel the call to receive the Holy Spirit, I cringe a bit. Why do they always look at me? I figured I got the Holy Spirit a long time ago at baptism, and I have acknowledged it again many times. So, my question has been, how many times to you have to get the Holy Spirit? Every Sunday? Or isn’t it - once you have the Holy Spirit in your heart and soul and mind - you have it forever? Or does it come and go like the flu? Does it flicker on and off like lightening bugs?
Jesus said the Holy Spirit was His gift to you and me and the only thing we needed to do to have the Holy Spirit in us was to declare with all one’s heart Jesus is Lord. Well, He definitely is mine. So, there is no need for me to go through each day worrying about whether I have the Holy Spirit in me or not. I just need to worry if am listening to Him or not.
Surely, the point of the Pentecost indwelling is that we do not have to speak in Latin or Greek or Hebraic or Aramaic or Arabic or any specific language to understand the Holy Spirit. Working with kids in the Hood or barrio today the conversation can be difficult because the blend of slang, accents and gang signing is a whole different way of communication. Sometimes their words don’t have the same meaning as those I use. Enemy gang members have been shot for giving the wrong hand sign. But when I’m standing in the middle of a circle with them, it’s letting them be who they are and never forget to give a hug when needed. I’m on their side because God put me there for that moment. And I just wait patiently in prayer that God is working his purpose out in these boys behind bars and I’m there to love them in any language.
God speaks to us in the language we need to hear, no matter how good or bad our literature. He puts the subtitles to our diction so others can understand it too. Jesus said the Comforter will make our prayers and cries palatable before the Lord, even when we may not know exactly what we are saying. I trust God’s heart and spirit will emerge through smiles and eyes and hugs because the Holy Spirit is translating, always, if we just try.
~ Rev
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audrey@audreytaylorgonzalez.com
www.audreytaylorgonzalez.com
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