For the last seven weeks, we have been focusing on ways that Jesus raises us up either into the fullness of life or into new life.  In the early Christian Church, the season of Easter wasn’t just about “what happens to you at the time of your death” it was about “what happens to you during your life.”  Easter was the joyous celebration of the goodness and grace of God that was fully alive and at work in our lives.  It was rooted in the belief and the experience that God is always offering us the gift new life.  Every moment, every day, God offers us the opportunity to experience new life, new hope, new faith. Just as the Season of Easter begins with a spectualar event, so the Season of Easter concludes with an equally spectacular event:  the pouring out of God’s Spirit upon us, God’s people.  The day in which we celebrate this gift of the Holy Spirit being poured out upon us is called “Pentecost.”  “Pente” simply means 50, and Pentecost means 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus.

I’ve always thought of Pentecost as the day in which we realize we are more powerful than we ever imagined.  By that I mean we are empowered to do and be.

In the book of Acts, the writer explains this power quoting the prophet Joel: (Acts 2: 14-18)

¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven disciples, raised his voice and addressed them, “People of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ ‘In the last days it will be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams.

¹⁸ Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy!

On Pentecost we know that we have within us the spiritual ability to change the world.

This year as we celebrate Pentecost, we join in inaugurating a new day honoring Harvey Milk.

Who was Harvey Milk?

Perhaps more than any other modern figure, Harvey Milk’s life and political career embody the rise of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights movement. Milk was born on May 22, 1930. He was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in a major city, serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1977-1978.

While in office, Milk worked to pass a gay rights ordinance and defeat Proposition 6, commonly known as the Briggs Initiative, which would have banned gays and lesbians from teaching in public schools. Milk encouraged LGBT people to be visible in society and believed coming out was the only way they could achieve true social equality.

Milk was tragically assassinated in 1978 by Dan White, a former colleague on the Board of Supervisors whose politics often clashed with Milk’s. After resigning from the Board and being denied reappointment by then Mayor George Moscone, White entered San Francisco City Hall through a window armed with a gun and shot and killed both Moscone and Milk.

During White’s criminal trial, the defense argued that White was a victim of pressure and had been depressed, a state exacerbated by his consuming a large quantity of junk food before the murders. This later became known as the “Twinkie Defense.” When this tactic proved successful and White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and a mere seven years and eight months in prison, San Francisco’s gay community erupted into protest in what came to be known as the “White Night Riots.”

Harvey Milk’s legacy as a civil rights leader is still felt today. He was named one of TIME Magazine’s most influential people of the 20th century. Many institutions and organizations are named for Harvey Milk to commemorate his life and social contributions. Most recently, the major motion picture MILK, chronicling the rise and fall of Harvey Milk, has captivated audiences worldwide to much critical acclaim.

“Two days after I was elected I got a phone call and the voice was quite young and it was from Altoona, Pennsylvania and the person said ‘thanks.’

You’ve got to elect gay people so that that young child and thousands upon thousands like that child know that there’s hope for a better world; there’s hope for a better tomorrow… I know that you cannot live on hope alone but without it life is not worth living. And you and you and you gotta give ‘em hope.”

[---Harvey Milk]

Harvey Milk is a perfect example of what Pentecost means.  It means we know that we have within us the ability and spiritual power to change the world.  Phillips Brooks, an Episcopalian Bishop who lived in the mid 1800’s (December 13, 1835 – January 23, 1893), wrote these words which are a perfect reflection of the spiritual power God gives us so that we might change the world:

Be such a person, and live such a life,

that if everyone were such as you,

and every life a life like yours,

this earth would be God’s paradise.

Blessings,

Dan

A Short History of the Bill, Harvey Milk Day (SB 572)

Introduced in February of 2009, this bill was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger on October 11^th, 2009. It proclaims May 22^nd Harvey Milk Day, and encourages public schools and educational institutions to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on that date.

This Sunday’s Scripture

Acts 2:1-18

Luke describes the day of Pentecost, when worshipers were filled with the Holy Spirit.

¹When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  ³And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

⁵Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “People of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ ‘In the last days it will be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams.

¹⁸ Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy!

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