Pentecost in 9 Words

“The Holy Spirit Arrives” by Douglas Blanchard

I love the Pentecost story.  A story with mystery, symbols, images, colors, and energy.  But what words come to mind when considering the day of Pentecost?  Fire, red, spirit, and language are some I have heard expressed. 

For me, I think of nine words that encapsulate the Pentecost story for me...
   Passion, Power, Peace. 
   Invite, Encourage, Empower. 
   Spark, Share, Send. 
Say them again...
   Passion, Power, Peace.
   Invite, Encourage, Empower. 
  Spark, Share, Send! 
 
Let's set the scene:  Imagine the loyal and beloved friends of Jesus, (the disciples) together in the room above the safe house, coming together during the celebration of the Jewish Feast of Shavuot.  (Shavuot meaning 'weeks' and the celebration happens 7 weeks after Passover.)  The disciples were most likely still afraid of the fall out and persecution of even knowing Jesus, and perhaps still managing their grief.  And yet, here they were together, having an inspired revelation of understanding that can only be explained with images and words such has fire, wind and flame  The story feels empowering!  Others in the story say they are probably just drunk!  Drunk on cheap wine...and what if they were?  I've been to a gathering like that...Friends celebrating and reminiscing.  Idealistic young adults, gathered together sharing, hoping, dreaming, and planning of drawing people together in community that is characterized by joy, energy, and common purpose.  

So often, in the days of Sunday school past, we teach and are taught that Pentecost is the 'birthday' of the church.  This is off the mark for the era of Jesus' followers in this story.  This story isn't about the founding of the early church. Jesus never intended to begin a new religion or church.   This was about a passionate gathered community beginning a spiritual and social justice movement. 

The early Jesus followers had…
Passion: Passion for a cause. A shared vision of the Ways of Jesus in the world. 
Power:  Power shared among them.  All were meant to teach and serve.
Peace:  Peace and love was their practice.  
 
Youth and Young Adults often share that when talking with peers about the church they attend or the faith community they belong to, that they avoid the word church all together.  Say the word church, and the conversation is already over before it could start. So, what inspires young people to be part of a gathered community or a movement?  I share with youth to look for the 3 people who call us into community:  The person that: 
Invites: Someone who is witness to your passion. Sees your gifts the whole community would be lesser without
Encourages:  The person who fans your flames to grow in your gifts abundantly. 
Empowers: Someone who includes and enables your gifts in gathered community for ministry and serving others. 
 
What makes up a gathered people into a passion filled community that shares a common purpose
 to begin a movement of love and justice in the world?
Spark: A passion for wanting to be community with a common vision.  Do we have spark? 
Share: Sharing our gifts within our community for the benefit of all people gathered together. 
Send:  Serving with these gifts outside of the gathered community and into the world. 
 
I understand Pentecost as the beginning of a movement, started by young followers of Jesus.  I feel the Spirit catching us off guard, commanding our attention, encouraging us to stand together against forces of fear and division.  I want Pentecost to be a sign of hope and persistence and empowerment. 
Passion, Power, Peace.  Invite, Encourage, Empower.  Spark, Share, Send.

Acts 2:1-8,12-17
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, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them. There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were blown away. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?
Their heads were spinning; they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: “What’s going on here?”  Others joked, “They’re drunk on cheap wine.”
That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren’t drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk—it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen:
“In the Last Days,” God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters; Your young men will see visions, your old men dream dreams.

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