Pentecost and the revolutionary presence
Pentecost | Acts 2:1-21 and John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
The Holy Spirit sure knows how to make an entrance, doesn’t she?
We’ve got:
- “a sound like the rush of a violent wind,”
- “Divided tongues, as of fire,”
- and multilingual apostles.
It is a grand spectacle and an incredible performance. She alerts everyone to the moment, draws their attention, and then dazzles with incredible sights and sounds. Nobody is going to miss this! How can they?
And like every performance, even the greatest, there are critics who don’t get it. Who don’t see the vision or prehend the wider point. When a show is so grand, we might lose the thread; think it ought to conform to our expectations. Sometimes losing the wonder of the moment.
Even the best shows have problems, we argued. We need to critique them.
In the midst of the Pentecost, the most profound piece of the performance wasn’t found in fire or wind or even the sudden linguistic fluency. It was in the receiving…
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