Pentecost is a very significant period of time in the
liturgical calendar of the Church, a time to renew our faith in Holy Spirit, a
time to be refreshed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and a time to rejuvenate
our dedication in making the relevance of Church felt by communicating in the
tongues of the localities of our times. The first
Pentecost as recorded in New Testament happened at a time, when there was fear,
peace-less-ness, timidity, and perplexity among the disciples of Jesus Christ.
At that very stroke of the Pentecost, as the resurrected Christ ascended into
heavens, the Holy Spirit poured down on the creation, the disciples of Jesus
Christ came open and the Church went out. Some have noted the day of Pentecost
as the birthday of the Church, for the genesis of Church as a communion of
people in God, Church as a movement of people in God began from that very day
of the Pentecost.
In the
gospel of John, in 14th Chapter from 15th verse, we see
Jesus promising to send Holy Spirit as an advocate to this world, which again
Jesus communicates the arrival of comforter Holy Spirit in the context when the
disciples were troubled in their hearts after the last supper episode in the
previous chapter. Jesus in 16-17 verse says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to
be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with
you, and he will be in you.” According to the Johannine Jesus, Holy Spirit
is the successor of his ministry of advocacy, for that is the reason it is
recorded as ‘another’ Advocate.
Holy
Spirit for Succession of Advocacy: According
to Jesus, the characteristic of Holy Spirit is to be a successor of the
ministry of advocacy. It was only in the early Church the gifts of the Spirit
and the fruit of the Spirit came into emphasis, otherwise for Jesus, Holy
Spirit is the successor of advocacy. Jesus is him life and ministry has always
been on the mission of advocacy, advocating for the rights of the outcastes,
the rights of the children, the rights of women and the rights of those that
have been on the margins of the society. Therefore, Holy Spirit succeeds Jesus
Christ in carrying forward the mission engagements of advocacy, defending the
rights of the vulnerable and those that been pushed to the margins. Therefore the
promise of Holy Spirit is to see that mission is in progress, the reign of God
is in progress, and that we as celebrants of Pentecost, are called to be part
of joint heirs with Jesus Christ in the mission of advocacy, whom Jesus gave us
to lead with.
Holy
Spirit for Accession of Intimacy: According
to Jesus, the advocate Holy Spirit, the comforter Holy Spirit is the Spirit of
truth, whom the world unrecognized due to the filling of powers and
principalities. The arrival and outpouring of Holy Spirit is to lead creation
into an accession of intimacy with the Triune God, building intimacy among one another
and also building intimacy among the Creator and the Creatures. Pentecost is a
celebration of the intimacy that one enjoys with one another and with the
Triune God. Therefore the down pouring of Holy Spirit needs to establish
healing and intimacy among broken relationships between human beings and God, between
human beings and creation and between human beings and human beings. Pentecost
is a restoration of relationships, intimate relationships, which furthers the
reign of God here on earth.
Pentecost is a time to implore on to the mission engagements
of advocacy as part of our Christian calling, striving for justice and peace in
our own localities and contexts.
It is noted that “we argue that involvement in advocacy is vital, both
practically and theologically, to the Church’s calling to bring about justice,
speak out truth, defend the poor and oppressed, and to work to redeem the whole
of creation. Advocacy involved both tackling individual cases of injustice or
poverty and tackling systems and structures that allow this injustice to
happen. Advocacy is firmly rooted in the hope and promise we have for a better
future and we do it in the confidence that God is working his purposes out. We
look forward to justice, not backwards to revenge, and are involved as part of
our calling to be salt and light of the world.” [1]
Why Advocacy? :Advocacy
is a Biblical calling – God of the Bible is an advocating God, for he raises prophets
on God’s behalf to advocate for the cause of justice and peace, for God the
Holy Spirit continues to be the advocate and comforter in journeys of faith and
struggles. For it is the advocate God Holy Spirit, who grants her humanity the
gifts and fruits of Spirit (I Cor 12 & Gal 5 :22), for they are to be
exercised for the good of creation and the sake of the rein of God principles.
Holy Spirit as an advocate installs the interceding spirit among her people,
for she teaches them how to pray and what to pray. Holy Spirit God challenges
all her people to become advocates like her, for she advocates, therefore her
people also should advocate for the cause of justice and peace. God the Holy
Spirit, created human beings to be the responsible stewards of the creation.
God, the Holy Spirit raised Abraham to advocate on behalf of Sodom and
Gomorrah, raised advocate
Moses to advocate on behalf of the Israelites, raised
Esther to advocate on behalf of her people to the King. Jesus advocated for the
rights of the people and even sent an Advocate Holy Spirit to be with the
creation. New earth and new heavens is required – so lets advocate for the
cause of creation by addressing climate change, addressing oppression & discrimination, violence
against women, rights of Dalit & Tribal communities etc. which are the
signs of our times and in our localities.
Pentecost is a time to respond to the call for
advocacy, and make Holy Spirit more relevant to our situations. Wishing you all a very meaningful season of Pentecost.
“Speak
open for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction,
speak open, judge righteously and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”
Proverbs 31:8-9
[1] Graham Gordans &
Bryan Adams, “The mission of the Church and the role of advocacy” discussion paper,
July 2002, Pg. 9. also on www. tilz. info
1 comment:
well written and very useful for pastors like me who preach on it. thanks anna
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