Acts 2.1-3 (The Message)
When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks…
Reflection: The celebration of Pentecost in the church is as rich as it is varied. Some celebrate the birthday of the church with candles, balloons, and possibly a cake. I’m not real keen on this approach, save during the kid’s moment, because I find that it trivializes the significance of the event. Pentecost is not so much about celebrating one more in a long line of birth anniversaries – 2,000 and counting! – as it is about standing awestruck before an act of creation by God. From the chaos, fear, and confusion of the disciples during their time of waiting, God’s spirit (wind) breathed life into a new creation; the community of God on earth. It calls to mind the creation story in Genesis 1, “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be…
Let there be… light, life, world, humankind… let there be church. The Spirit of God referenced in Genesis as wind, breathed life into the church as it had into the creation, “Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from.” And the Spirit of God descended on the disciples as tongues of fire – I love the expression in The Message to a wildfire that spread through their ranks – again making reference to God’s creative power and ongoing protection. Like, for example, the pillar of fire that led the ancient Israelites through the wilderness by night. Like, for example, the bush that burned without being consumed announcing the very name of God, “I Am”; I am before all things, I am beyond all things, I am above all things and yet, here I am, in your midst. Like, for example, the fire and smoke that wrapped Mt. Sinai when God descended to give the Torah through Moses to the people.
Wind and fire are not simply stage props inserted to make the story of Pentecost interesting and memorable; rather wind and fire point beyond themselves to the God of all who wills to be represented through the church. Wow! This is more than a birthday party… but perhaps a cake would still be in order.
When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks…
Reflection: The celebration of Pentecost in the church is as rich as it is varied. Some celebrate the birthday of the church with candles, balloons, and possibly a cake. I’m not real keen on this approach, save during the kid’s moment, because I find that it trivializes the significance of the event. Pentecost is not so much about celebrating one more in a long line of birth anniversaries – 2,000 and counting! – as it is about standing awestruck before an act of creation by God. From the chaos, fear, and confusion of the disciples during their time of waiting, God’s spirit (wind) breathed life into a new creation; the community of God on earth. It calls to mind the creation story in Genesis 1, “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be…
Let there be… light, life, world, humankind… let there be church. The Spirit of God referenced in Genesis as wind, breathed life into the church as it had into the creation, “Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from.” And the Spirit of God descended on the disciples as tongues of fire – I love the expression in The Message to a wildfire that spread through their ranks – again making reference to God’s creative power and ongoing protection. Like, for example, the pillar of fire that led the ancient Israelites through the wilderness by night. Like, for example, the bush that burned without being consumed announcing the very name of God, “I Am”; I am before all things, I am beyond all things, I am above all things and yet, here I am, in your midst. Like, for example, the fire and smoke that wrapped Mt. Sinai when God descended to give the Torah through Moses to the people.
Wind and fire are not simply stage props inserted to make the story of Pentecost interesting and memorable; rather wind and fire point beyond themselves to the God of all who wills to be represented through the church. Wow! This is more than a birthday party… but perhaps a cake would still be in order.
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