May 24 - Pentecost!

I almost always write the word Pentecost followed by an exclamation mark. It’s because it was just that kind of day. There Jesus’ followers are, having a meeting (this practice began early) when the Holy Spirit shows up with wind and tongues of fire! See, the exclamation mark is needed! Suddenly, everyone can understand one another, no matter the language. Suddenly, it is obvious that Jesus’ followers are to boldly take up his mission, though Jesus himself is no longer with them. In very simple terms, Pentecost is the birthday of the church.

So, we celebrate. We wear red. We decorate with red. One year, I painstakingly taped red streamers to a fan so that the wind could blow them around like tongues of fire. I’m not sure anyone was convinced, but I think they appreciated the effort… This year, we have something very special to celebrate on Pentecost. When Tobermory United received a bequest from the estate of Jan MacDonald, we decided to have a series of altar decorations created for each liturgical season. Jo Lane has proved herself a true fabric artist in this endeavour, and she has used her creative skills to create stunning works of art for the Tobermory United sanctuary. The last set, the Pentecost altar decorations, will be received on Sunday. I have had a sneek peek, and all I can say is, prepare to say, “Wow!” In fabric, texture and colour, Jo has captured the spirit of Pentecost (much more vividly than my streamer/fan contraption).

I will be attending the Western Ontario Waterways Regional Spring gathering Friday through Saturday. No time to write a sermon, so instead we’ll hear a story on Sunday, one about a different kind of communication, how we communicate with food.

Don’t forget to wear red!

To prepare, read Acts 2:1-21 and ponder the following:

1.       Have you ever had a moment of strange communication, when an idea was shared, perhaps beyond language, or between species?

2.       Peter quotes from Joel about the young seeing visions and the old dreaming dreams. What are the visions and dreams that we might put forward this Pentecost?

Image: A close-up preview of the new Pentecost altar decorations (taken with a not-very-good cell-phone camera; much brighter in real life!)