On Sunday (20 May) Christians around the world will be celebrating Pentecost. As described in Acts 2:1-31, it is an occasion that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and other followers of Jesus, and is referred to by many as ‘the birthday of the Church’.
The Revd David Grosch-Miller, immediate-past Moderator of the United Reformed Church General Assembly, offers the following reflection:
If Pentecost is the birthday of the Church then balloons and party poppers are a poor substitute for wind and fire. When the Jewish Festival of Pentecost was given a makeover, a disruptive force was released which challenged assumptions, tore down barriers and invited the whole world to dream a new dream. Luke has already given a warning of what is to come when, in the Gospel, he names the female followers of Jesus as the witnesses to the Resurrection. The fact that it has taken the Christian Church the best part of 2000 years to catch on suggests that the Holy Spirit has some work to do to shake us up as we listen to what God is about.
Luke continues the description of the shakeup of the established order as members of the Jewish diaspora find a new unity in the fellowship of believers that has coalesced around the teaching of the radical Rabbi from Nazareth. The thread that will run through the Acts of the Apostles will be of barriers recognised and then dismantled. The lame will be cured, prison walls broken down, dietary laws overridden, Roman centurions welcomed. The early church dared to dream of a community in which all could belong – and where the rule of law was replaced with a grace-filled acceptance. It was a risky strategy but one that would in time cross boundaries of time and space as well as culture and language.
Pentecost 2018 will see a Royal wedding that commentators suggest will break the mould and which will set the most conservative of institutions in a new direction. If the Royal family can change then perhaps there is hope for the Church. It is time for the community of faith to dream a new dream and to take the risk of inclusion. The wonder of Pentecost is the invitation for all of us to dream, whatever our age or size of congregation, or whatever limit might be placed upon us. Pentecost is all about inclusion and when that is lived then change happens. Forget the risk register, let the wind blow and the flames burn and while you are at it invite the world to join in the dance.
We might never be the same again – and that would be no bad thing.
The Council for World Mission (CWM) has produced a range of worship resources for Pentecost. These are available to download for free.
