Glen Avon Presbyterian Church

“Remember, You Have Wings!”

Rev. Lon Weaver

A neighbor telephoned our home one day. My siblings and I were still quite young. When my mother answered, the friend on the other end of the line said, “Peggy, now don’t get excited, but one of the boys is up on the roof of your back porch looking over the edge.” With as much calmness as she could muster, mom rushed upstairs to snatch the adventurer from the precipice. I can’t recall which one of us it was. I do know we were dangerously close to experimenting with an umbrella or another contraption to enable us to fly. Physical wings we do not have, but we do have “wings”.

While serving as a chaplain in the German Imperial Army during World War I, Paul Tillich regularly preached near the battlefields of that brutal and awful war. He knew he was speaking to soldiers who were watching and participating in actions which regularly contradicted the law of love. War threatened to mar their minds and spirits, just as it maimed thousands upon thousands of their bodies. On one occasion Tillich was moved by this verse at the close of Isaiah 40:

“those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,

they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary,

they shall walk and not faint.” (40:31)

It led Tillich to encourage the soldiers with these words, “Remember, you have wings!”

On Pentecost Sunday, above the flowers and the lovely reds and oranges of the cloth covering the communion table there was hung the outline of a dove, one of the great symbols of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost offers us the great reminder of the powerful force the Spirit can have in our lives. On that day, the barrier of language was broken down. On that day, the barrier of fear evaporated. On that day, the followers of Christ became fully prepared to leave the secret confines of the upper room to live the life of following Christ into the world. In this, they launched the church into existence.

Each Pentecost provides the potential for a jump start for the church and for you as a follower of Christ. It’s a time for God to jog our memories: “Do you remember that you have wings? Do you remember that you don’t have to be imprisoned by all the nonsense and ignorance, all the pace and distractions of living the fast life? Do you remember that your life can really be rooted in the Spirit, and borne by the Spirit?”

Summer can become the perfect time for each one of us to ask that question. It’s step one in the process of changing our lives to be shaped by courage and love of Christ. It’s the launching pad for lives defined by our faith. So, do it! This summer, take the time—frequent, even brief opportunities—to ponder where the Spirit wants to carry you in deeper, more faithful service. Decide to become an ally of the Spirit. Then, get out of the way, because the Spirit will bull you over with transformative power! Amen.