Dear Fellow Pilgrims,
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me…
I’m a bit of a Pentecost nerd. Seriously. It’s not the sort of thing I bring up at parties for fear of sending people for their coats. But if Pentecost is not the coolest feast day we have, it’s certainly in the top three. I mean, c’mon – tongues of fire, Jesus showing up in the room with the locked doors – what’s not to love?
Pentecost has action, mystery, surprise and love. And yet, it often feels like the awkward geek of the feast days. Christmas is like the popular kid everyone wants to hang out with. Easter is like the jock who made the three-point buzzer beater to win the championship. But Pentecost ends up cast as the kid on the math team who people respect but don’t really understand. Well, I guess I’m a math team sort of guy.
Here’s the thing about Pentecost that perhaps makes us uncomfortable: it does not allow us to sit on the bench and watch. Jesus is no longer a separate and distinct miracle worker we can simply worship and admire. God the Creator is no longer the distant Eye-in-the-Sky we can mostly ignore but then lean on when the chips are down. The fire of the Holy Spirit ignites us. Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit upon us and within us. We are now one with Christ, one in Christ, one of Christ. And that means something, something big.
Pentecost is pure gift, and like all gifts from God it comes freely. We don’t earn it, nor do we deserve it. It just shines upon us as brightly and boldly as the summer sun. We invoke it each and every time we make the Sign of the Cross – in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. “Holy Spirit,” we say, most often without even thinking.
Melt me, mold me
Fill me, use me…
If Jesus is our life coach, then Pentecost is the moment he taps us on the shoulder, calls our number and sends us into the game.
“As the Father has sent me,” he says, “so I send you.” And there you have it, the words that make our faith messy. We have to carry on Jesus’ mission and work. We are called to touch the lepers, forgive others, and welcome the Samaritan. We are called to love as Jesus loves.
But we never have to go it alone. Never. Not ever. The Holy Spirit is upon us and within us. We can be one with Christ. One with the wisdom of Christ. One with the courage of Christ. One with the knowledge, understanding, reverence, and good judgment of Christ. One with the wonder and awe of Christ. It’s all there, imbued upon us through the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is allow those tongues of fire to spark a flame in our hearts. And that changes everything. It’s very, very cool.
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me…
Journey well.
Peace,
Deacon Steve