PENTECOST!

 It's Pentecost, y'all! Wear Red! 

As many of you know, I was raised in a Pentecostal church, with heavy emphasis on the excitement and power the story in Acts, chapter 2. For many reasons, I stepped away from the Pentecostal church but I continue to find reasons to embrace the story of the Day of Pentecost and discover new meaning in it. 

 

One of the first large decisions one makes in interpreting, embracing, and proclaiming the story of Pentecost is how to contextualize it. 

- Do we read Genesis 11 and interpret the one-ness of Pentecost as an alternative to the confusion-and-diffusion of Babel? 

- Do we read Leviticus 23 and interpret Pentecost as the fiftieth-day celebration concluding the Festival of Weeks, so it becomes a story of God's abundance? 

- Do we read Leviticus 25 and interpret Pentecost as an expression of Jubilee, with all of the redistributive justice that goes with it? 

- Do we read Ezekiel 37 and interpret Pentecost as the Divine Breath, breathing new life into the dry bones of a tragic killing field? 

- Do we read Joel 2 and interpret Pentecost as a symbol of the 'last days,' as Peter does in his sermon that follows? 

- Do we read Acts 1:1-11, and interpret the power of Pentecost as the alternative to the disciples’ view of power when the ask about "restoring the kingdom" to Israel? 

- Do we read Acts 3 and interpret Pentecost through Peter's great claim, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I freely give you - rise up and walk"? 

- Do we read Acts 6 and interpret Pentecost through the newly invented-by-necessity office of Deacons, as a recognition of the variety of spiritual gifts? 

- Do we read about Stephen's death in Acts 7 and interpret Pentecost as the power that the early church had to give new meaning to the Greek word martyr, or 'witness'? 

- Do we read Acts 10 and interpret Pentecost through the peculiar image of a giant net/sheet/whatever, also coming down from heaven, with all manner of clean and unclean critters mixing it up, and hearing the words, "Let's eat!"? 

- Do we read I Corinthians 12 and 14 or Romans 12 and interpret Pentecost through the "one body, many parts" language of Paul's letters? 

 

My goodness! It will take a lifetime to experience the many dimensions of this story! Let’s get our red on and start exploring.

 

Mark of St. Mark