The key things we have been told during our Easter season are that the results of the Resurrection, for those who believed, were peace and power. Peace from fear, and power to preach – to preach that Jesus had won the battle against death, the battle against fear.
That message reaches its climax today, on the Feast of Pentecost. The message is embodied, made flesh, in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings that power to preach, to be understood by everyone (Acts 2:1-11). That message of the “mighty acts of God” is summarized by Paul as “Jesus is Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13) – the one who was crucified is risen, is with us, has brought us peace.
At the beginning of our Church year we celebrate what we call the “incarnation”, the fact that God took on human flesh in the form of Jesus. At the climax of our church year that fact of incarnation reaches its fullest in God becoming incarnate in all of us, through the Spirit. We now also have received the fullness of God. When we say Jesus is Lord and preach his peace then the Spirit is active within us, we are the presence of God in the world, just as Jesus was (John 20:19-23).