This past week has been a
beautiful week where we have been able to enjoy a brief summer. Of course we hope it is only a taster of what
it is to come.
Perhaps it is part of
living in the UK and in Scotland in particular that when the temperatures rise
we wish we could have a national holiday.
With the sunshine comes much joy for many – the sky is bluer, the colours
are brighter, the atmosphere warmer, the songs of the birds are sweeter and the
laughter of children rings out as they play out doors.
Many I’m sure remember
the days when the sun came out like this and washing lines up and down the
street groaned under the weight of fresh washing. If the wind was blowing gently it was a
perfect drying day. Beds were stripped,
curtains taken down and every nook and cranny checked for anything that could
be washed. In Scotland at least a sunny
day was measured by how much washing could be done!
Pentecost is rather like
that first warm super summer day.
Pentecost, for the Church, is when the warmth and cleansing power of the
Spirit arrived. The disciples had been
very sad, missing Jesus and wondering what would happen next. It was such a
hard time for them living in limbo. The
days would have seen dull by comparison with what had gone before.
And then the Holy Spirit
arrived – the sound of the rushing wind – clearing away the cobwebs and
stirring up the souls. And then the
warming flame of the Spirit resting upon each person brightening the world
around them, opening their minds and hearts to the presence of God within. From that experience, that encounter with the
Spirit they left their locked space and went out into the world full of
hope. Like stepping outside on a bright
warm day after the bleakness of spring showers the disciples stepped excited
and hopeful.
Sunny days always
encourage us to enjoy life, even to take chances. There is something about being warm outdoors
that brings the adventurer to the surface – a barbeque perhaps, a game of
football, or even just sitting to read a good book. The disciples stepped out and shared the good
news of Jesus with confidence, with knowledge and in Peter’s case with
authority.
For me Pentecost is like
that heat wave that hits and inspires hope and joy in each person.
The Church needs
Pentecost and she needs reminded of Pentecost just like we need reminding that
summer does exist. The Church struggles
at times to find a way forward and often locks herself away. The Church worries so much about getting it
right or raising enough money to pay the bills.
The Church worries about whether there will be enough Christians left to
fulfil God’s mission. Rather like the
disciples in the upper room before the Spirit arrives we worry. What does Jesus mean by this? What will happen next? Will we still have a church in 20 years?
Pentecost reminds us that
God is in charge, and that it is his Spirit that is our advocate, our
truth-teller, our guide. Sometimes people
pray that the Spirit will come but the Spirit is already here. The Holy Spirit has arrived and perhaps what
the Church needs to do, what we need to do is welcome her, nurture her and
trust her. Hard to do when she is
something we cannot see – in John’s Gospel we read:
15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to
help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot
accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he
lives with you and will be in you.
The Church needs to
hold onto the Spirit of Pentecost especially in the bleak days. And in our own
bleak days when the world seems devoid of colour and we are not sure why we are
here or why we bother – know that the Spirit of Pentecost resides within each
of us. And that just as a summer’s day
dawns bright and early, so too will the Spirit shine on and give us light and
warmth if we let her.
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