THE DISCIPLES REJOICED WHEN THEY SAW THE LORD!

Deacon Timothy Tilghman

Pentecost Weekend

"The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [Jesus] said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit” (John 20:20-22)

Here is a DC thing that you will understand.  “The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [Jesus] said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit” (John 20:20-22).  Let’s not focus on what happened just after the Resurrection.  Focus on why we gather on Sunday and what it is that we receive when we gather in the sanctuary. And, they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem” (Acts 2:4-5).  Folks rejoiced because they gathered together, shed their fear of the darkness in the world, and rejoiced because those present at the communal gathering received Jesus, the Light of the World.

Folks rejoiced because this was the first Holy Ghost party, long before Chuck Brown put it to music. “And, they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem” (Acts 2:4-5).  And, we have all experienced this sense of euphoria in the neighborhood.  If he or she is from DC, it’s the memory of the party in the Panorama Room on the best night (even if you were unaware of the Church built there 50 years before the Panorama Room).  It was the smile from the little girl or guy you wanted to impress.  It was the story shared at the bar or the table.  It was the anticipation of the joy of the next “Holy Ghost” party on the Hill.  This was Eucharist! It’s not the source and summit, but it was close, and everybody was feeling some love and happiness in the room.  This is the world as it should be when Christians gather.  And, you just know it’s right. 

Most of the folk I know from the neighborhood have experienced the sensation described here:

“At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his own native language?” (Acts 2:6-8).

And, you see these words and say: “Where the hell do Galileans live, not in the projects and especially not in my neighborhood on the other side of the river.”  Remember Miss Jones looking at you just before you decided not to go in the alley and smoke that cigarette?  Remember Uncle Joe, whose smile reminded you to step more lively to get home before the street lights came on?  No words, just love that you did not know at the moment, but you certainly can appreciate the reality and the intensity of that love today.  You and yours know the sensation of love, even when you don’t fully understand the words that convey this reality we call “Spirit love.”  It’s not just the Parthians, the Medes, and the Elamites; it’s the folk from the projects who bailed you out, or the people from the south side of the city who received you in their neighborhood.  It’s the crew from the rival school who saluted you with high-fives after you gave them a good game. One day, when you were slumming, they still invited you to church and sat with you in the front row.

When we walk in the Spirit, we glow as we flow.  People who are unfamiliar with the faith often recognize the Spirit in the believer.  And, people who know the Spirit just say, “Ashay!” Go out today, and each day to witness by your walk in the Spirit so a brother or sister can say, “Ashay!

Author: Deacon Timothy Tilghman, the Deacon in the Neighborhood, St. Teresa of Avila Church, Washington, DC.

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