MAY 2008
Pentecost
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit…”
Acts 2:1-4a
“The church of Christ, in every age
beset by change, but Spirit led,
must claim and test its heritage
and keep on rising from the dead.”
ELW #729
Well, the church year is flying by. It seemed that Lent followed directly on Christmas this year and now the Easter season is almost over! The fifty days of celebration of Easter will come to a close with the arrival of Pentecost on May 11th. Because it arrives so early, this year Pentecost coincides with Mother’s Day, reminding us that our lives are ordered not only by the world’s secular calendar, but also by the liturgical calendar. So bring your mother to church, wear red, and join us on May 11th to celebrate the Festival of Pentecost.
On the Day of Pentecost we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit which was poured out on the disciples in violent wind and divided tongues of fire. Tradition also sometimes celebrates Pentecost as the birthday of the church. If we are not careful, we may find these two ways of thinking about Pentecost in conflict.
When we think of the Holy Spirit, particularly with the images of the Pentecost story – wind and fire -- we may think about change. “The spirit blows where it will,” says John 3:8. To talk about the Holy Spirit is to admit that we are not in control. To trust in the Holy Spirit is to realize that even our best laid plans may not be what God has in mind for us. To invoke the Holy Spirit is to invite God to work in our lives in ways we might not even imagine. Depending upon your personality, this can be tremendously exciting or really scary.
When we think about church, we usually think about buildings – big, sturdy, permanent buildings – buildings like the great cathedrals of Europe built to last a thousand years. We often think of church as a place that embodies tradition. In a world where so much is changing so rapidly, one of the attractions of church is that it seems unchanging. I often think of strong, unmovable images – rocks, foundations, fortresses – when I think about church.
The challenge for us is to remember that the church is not simply the building, but the gathered community in Christ. Our “one foundation” is not the church, but “Jesus Christ our Lord.” Our “mighty fortress” is not a building, but “our God.” And the Holy Spirit works through the church, as well as out in the world. Our challenge is to look and listen for the ways that the Spirit is moving among us here at St. Mark. Where do we sense that the Spirit is calling us as a community in Christ?
In the spirit of Pentecost, we will be holding a series of opportunities to discuss in small groups where we see the Spirit leading us. Please see the announcement here in the newsletter and sign up to join us.
Peace,
Pastor Linda
