Pentecost Sunday 24 May 2026 Sermon

Pentecost Sunday 24 May 2026 Enthusiasm

Those in the upper room received a great blessing from Heaven and were never the same again.

They were enthused – en theos - immersed in God and willing to tell the whole world.

Now it is our turn. How do we stir up and then keep that enthusiasm. How do we keep the kettle on the stove, so that we are in all times and places radiating the fire of God to a frozen world ?

Always prayer is helpful, and necessary. The same Holy Spirit who comes, also stays, bringing forth the right words and actions from those who receive Him.

The apostles, in their joy,  had another experience of the Holy Spirit. He guided St Peter to explain what had happened, and what was still to happen.

Most importantly, he called all present to repentance.

Now we ask the Holy Spirit to come to us. He can whip us a storm, but He can also be like a gentle breeze (1 K 19,11-12).

And with this range of options He can reach deep into our hearts and minds, and transform them.

Maybe we need shaking up, like a rushing wind. Maybe we need gentle encouragement to pursue more fully the things of God.

We do not know all that  goes on inside us, as regards spiritual matters.

We have a mixture of  factors at work. The Holy Spirit will help us to see more clearly what we need to change, what to correct, what to improve upon.

The Holy Spirit will give us a sufficiently clear way of seeing things that we will change, and be willing to do whatever God wants from us.

Anything wrong can be made right; anything already right can be made better still.

We may not always recognize the Holy Spirit’s influence, so subtle can it be, but we can benefit from it, provided we are humble.

When we say, Come Holy Spirit we are implying that we agree to take our part in anything required when He does come.

We do not ask Him to come to us as spectators but as participants.

He can also come to those who do not receive Him, and that has been a major part of the Church’s mission ever since the first Pentecost.

How to convert the unrepentant. Can the Holy Spirit help there? Definitely, as He can at least exert an influence on those who are resisting the truth.

He will know what to do. We can help Him succeed by adding our own prayers and sacrifices, by giving good example, by being merciful to the sinner. We never lose hope of winning new members to the Church.

It has been happening from the beginning of the Church till now. We can accelerate things by our response.

The Church is to be the Bride of Christ, arrayed in beauty for her Husband. (Rev  19,7-8). To be beautiful as a city coming down from above, all in precious stones  (Rev 21,2-3).

This Church  can be beautiful only if there are beautiful people in it, making up its numbers – people radiating the goodness of God.

This is the other side of the same coin; the Holy Spirit works both on individuals and the whole Church, at the same time.

He will hear the prayers of those who do pray; and go after the ones who do not!

He will do wondrous things, like at this first Pentecost, and small things like answering a single prayer from a solitary person.

He will ‘come’ all the more when we ask Him to – which we fervently ask today.