Penetecost Sunday At St. Paul's Cathedral

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. - Acts 2:1-4

What a fantastic and mysterious experience is Pentecost! Even as a child, I can remember being entranced by the event. Tongues of fire? Instantaneous linguists? Even the derisive on-lookers later in the story that determine all the disciples were drunk simply add to the allure of the story. Later in my life, preachers made me smile by focusing on the female aspects brought to the Trinity by the language used surrounding the Holy Spirit and her action through the Scriptures. Today, my Pentecost Sundays are filled with my prayers for the same to happen to me - especially if it means I could speak better Italian.

I knew I would want to experience this great event in a great place, and since I had a visitor in town, we went to St. Paul's Cathedral in London. This is an impressive space, rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666 and iconic to the London skyline especially as it stood firm among the rubble during World War II. With its renowned choir and illustrious staff, I was sure we'd be in for a treat. I especially held out hope that I would be treated to a sermon that gave me a new perspective on an event that holds great importance not only for me, but for Christianity world-wide.

As has been the case more and more for me here, this was not exactly the case. Certainly, the service was amazing. After all, the space inside the cathedral soars and glows with mosaics, arches, domes and stained glass. The choir, complete with its boy's choir, simply danced through a series of classical and contemporary works that showcased their ability. The service itself was rich in Anglican pageantry, something I have come to truly appreciate. There was, however, an emptiness to the service in the spot I treasure most: the sermon.

After all, it is in the sermon that the preacher has the opportunity to take the scriptural stories and concepts and flesh them out. Not only does this aid comprehension, but it creates a space where each listener is invited in to the mystery and connect it to his or her own life and faith. Here, the Holy Spirit itself breaks in and opens hearts and minds. Granted, this can be done regardless of the quality of the sermon. Even if (God forbid!) we only ever preached boring, dry, rambling, expository sermons for the rest of the life of the church, somehow the Spirit would still break past our glazed-over eyes and yawning faces. However, if we take seriously the call to preach, we know that we are called to not just go through the motions but give everything we have.

The trend I seem to notice here, especially in churches that see mostly tourists for a congregation and draw crowds based primarily on their history, is that the style and structure of a sermon's delivery is more important than its content. This leads to a great deals of sermons written in perfect three-point style, carefully written to include an educated vocabulary, spoken with impeccable diction and clarity. After about three minutes, the sermon is completely dead - but at least it sounds nice. Unfortunately, this sermon was no different. I had to simply bide my time until the choir started singing again, since at least they brought passion to the Word.

I realize that preachers all have different gifts, and for everyone who is moved by a fervent, witty sermon there is someone who needs a deliberate, methodical sermon. I thank God that there is this variety in preachers, as we would otherwise be a very boring lot. But I do hope that the Holy Spirit would indeed fill each and every preacher with a palpable fire that not only gives them style but substance, not just form but function, not only clarity but conviction.

Triune God, as you came to the disciples in tongues of fire, light up our hearts today. Give our words and actions the fullness of your grace so that we can live with the fire of your love. May our words be full of not only wisdom but passion as we share your Word in this world. We pray these things in your holy name, Amen.