Pentecost Power

In the Western Christian tradition, Pentecost marks the reception of the Spirit by Jesus' disciples following His ascension. He had told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, which would include power. Jesus had told them that He would go to the Father but that He would not leave them as orphans. Rather when He had gone, He would send the Spirit who would remind them, empower them, and give them words to say when they needed them.

Once they had received the Spirit, they were to be His witnesses and messengers to the entire world. This then is often considered the beginning of he church, but it isn't really. He church, or the called out people of God, had been in existence for sometime. Rather, this day is the empowering of the disciples to now fully and boldly proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God to all comers, and to take the message to all peoples.

Part of the church's mission is to tell the world of the Life God wants for them, secured and exampled by Jesus. This message is to be proclaimed not in a truncated, even if accurate, "Jesus died for you" message, but a message that includes the blessings available right now. This is no pie in the sky message but one that assets that God has broken into our reality not with just a message but with Life.

This message though must be proclaimed by people who are living that Life as the called out people of God. A people who are living the blessing they seek to lure others toward. Jesus will tell them that people will know that they and we are experiencing the Life we tout by our love for one another. It will be apparent to ourselves when we can look at ourselves and our group and find the fruit of the Spirit in ourselves and each other.

That empowering then is not just so we will know what to say when in front of magistrates, but so that we can become lovers of each other and of the same things that God loves. And what does God love, but the world. We are then charged with loving each other, which can be difficult on its own, but we are also called to love those outside our group as well - all those sinners our God loves but we try to avoid.

Pentecost reminds us then that God has empowered us to be lovers of people. We don't have the option of saying that we just can't love that person because off what they have done, or the Life they are living. We can't say that because God has empowered us to do just that - love them.

On this Pentecost then, let's remember the coming off the Spirit, yes, but let us admit that the Spirit is given for a reason. Let's accept our charge to both tell and live a life of love and so entice each other and outsiders to accept the Life God offers.