Pentecost should be one of
the most joyous, and most powerful of the Christian festivals. It conjures up
images of wind, of movement, of fiery red flames. Potent in its symbolism, it
is not hard to imagine the spirit sweeping through the minds and lives and
souls of those who received it, cleansing them, renewing them, and creating
fresh vigour and hope.
The story of Pentecost as we
have received it is a story of transformation, with many churches celebrating
it as the true beginning of the Christian church. It is also a story about
chaos. The disciples are sitting in a room waiting. They are somewhat anxious,
have no idea what to do next, and probably fear for their future and even their
lives. Into this situation sweeps the disruptive spirit, turning lives upside
down, stirring up passions, generating antagonism and changing the thinking and
the vision of the disciples.
Each Pentecost, I find myself
asking questions about whether it still has the power and dynamism of long ago.
I wonder if the spirit still sweeps through our churches in the same chaotic
way. I ponder whether as a church, we are still receptive to the notion of the
winds of change blowing through our buildings, our community and our traditions.
In modern times, inspiration
by the spirit appears to have lost some of the force it seems to have had in
the story in Acts. Nonetheless I think it has the potential to shift the church
significantly, especially if we accept that the purpose of an encounter with the
spirit is to create chaos in order to generate a place of possible
transformation.
Research into change does
show that change can only ever take place at the edge of chaos. Another way of
putting this is that chaos and disorder provide a space and make room for the
spirit to enter, a place where congregational vision for the future can be
transformed, where the inflowing of the spirit can inspire people to take risks
and commit deeds of greatness.
The presence of the spirit,
as the disciples found, fills us with a new belief in their abilities, abilities
that allow God’s words to be heard and understood by everyone, and for lives to
be transformed. And this dynamic, living, powerful force will not only
transform the lives of the faithful, but also the lives of those around them.
The disciples and followers of Jesus were called to launch out into a new
adventure, to walk on untrodden pathways, to go out in mission, to put aside
their fear and uncertainty and to gain strength as a unified community. We are called
to do no less.
The celebration of Pentecost
challenges us to keep ourselves open to the spirit who seeks us. The spirit
that, in the beginning, brooded over the chaos and brought forth creation; the spirit
that drenched the community with fire and breath on the day of Pentecost is the
same spirit that seeks to dwell within us and among us now. Amidst the
brokenness and chaos and pain that sometimes come with being in community, the spirit
searches for places to breathe in us, to transform us, to knit us together more
deeply and wholly as the body of Christ, and to send us forth into the world.
May we continue to feel God’s
breathe within us.
May we then blaze anew with
the spirit.
