In Acts 2, Luke writes about a strange event that occurred in an upper room and how the Holy Spirit touched a group of ordinary men.
At the school where I teach there is a mural in our dining hall that was painted by N. C. Wyeth. It also depicts a group of men .
Both capture an event frozen in time, but always in motion; we cannot read or see these events without wondering what happened next.
The canvas shows men standing in a room looking up at the sky. Some eyes are focused on documents (maybe drawings) on the table, but anticipation is in the air. A new thing is happening, and, as a result, life will never be the same.
I have looked at the Wyeth mural almost every day for the past 24 years, but the image that began to take shape for me this week was of Jesus’ disciples in that upper room. The only thing missing is fire flaming from the heads of Mr. duPont, Dr. Pell, Bishop Cook and the others.
What the painting captures best is the anticipation of things to come: young people making a better world through faith and learning. Something had to have inspired those men and Wyeth captured it. In fact he even said that his intention in painting the mural was that it might invite students to look at it, to wonder and be interested in what transpired in that room—a vision frozen in time.
The word “inspire” means to breathe in, to arouse by divine influence.
To be inspired is to be filled with emotion.
To inspire is to be that teacher or coach who stimulates others to act, motivates players to push harder than they thought possible, moves an actor beyond the script, as Stanislavsky said, into the very world of the character he or she plays.
To inspire is what a musician or poet does by writing and composing. At my small boarding school, I think back on the inspiring sermons of Walden Pell and Simon Mein, the classes taught by Chris Boyle and Will Speers, pre-race and game speeches by Dave Washburn and Bob Colburn.
In the early days of St. Andrew’s School in Delaware where I teach, students were pushed to work hard and taught to accept criticism with dignity and patience. “Only God gets 100,” said former student Ed Strong when quoting a classroom teacher; “Jesus Christ gets a 99, and the best the rest of us can do is 98.” To this day at St. Andrew's, the inspirational teacher does not reward mediocre effort with false praise or inflated grades.
Besides, how can one assign a grade for inspiration? It is something a person must breathe in on his or her own. St. Andrew’s teachers long dead, and those brand new, have looked at the mural and made a commitment: to have us breather deeply of a Pentecostal event. Moreover, they ask us to inhale deeply, and then act boldly.
Wyeth’s mural does not give us all the details about what occurred in the room that day, nor does Luke tell us everything we wish to know about what went on in that upper room. What we do have is Luke’s account of Jesus’ disciples gathered for prayer, and also to select a person to replace Judas. A rather large group of devout folks were milling about Jerusalem. All heard the sound of a violent wind, and then experienced something amazing.
Headmaster Tad Roach has a saying that he is fond of sharing with each incoming class of St. Andrew’s students: “The answer to the question of how to prepare for college or how to prepare for life is actually relatively easy to explain—to prepare for college and life, commit to doing good work, work that makes your community, nation, and world a better place. Fight for justice, freedom and peace; learn to listen and to honor those with whom you disagree; protect children; honor and learn from diversity; save the earth; refuse to live trivial, confined, self-obsessed high school and collegiate lives.” After four years at St. Andrew’s, he will remind them, “Seniors, you will do what you have to do—good work; you will honor St. Andrew’s by moving out into the world and spreading this culture of good work wherever you go.”
This message, I believe, is the Pentecostal miracle in action. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, inspired by the wind that came through that upper room, Jesus’ disciples went into the streets of Jerusalem and proclaimed the gospel to people from every nation under heaven. The miracle was about making connections in a world that was becoming more global, fanning tongues of fire into flames of fellowship, and putting faith into action.
Isn't this a worthy mission for a modern school with a global focus?
I do have one problem with the Wyeth mural. Almost everyone in it is calm. Two figures are caught up in a dream; several men are focused on plans and tactics. Dr. Pell appears relaxed and comfortable overseeing the meeting. To the far right, however, one man is leaning over the shoulder of another man, and he looks, to me anyway, to be a little worried.
Thank you Mr. Wyeth.
If you have read this far and you are interested in experiencing the Holy Spirit in your life, then I need to tell you something before you continue. The Holy Spirit is not a guest one invites to a social event. Living according to the Holy Spirit is neither comfortable nor easy. Simply put, it is challenging to live by the Spirit, for we do not know where its winds will take us, or what dangers will threaten us. What we do know is that generations of ordinary men and women did embrace the vision of the disciples. They risked breathing deeply of that same Spirit.
Would that we all might have the courage and conviction to breathe love for humanity into a world that feeds on greed, power and selfishness. Jesus would have us be that love. He is our inspiration.
