Pentecost 100

“What if we could welcome 100 people to church on the Feast of Pentecost this Sunday at 10am?”

Gavin’s dream – Pentecost 100

Pentecost is so-called because it occurs 50 days after Passover and links God’s promise of salvation to the Israelites with his promise of salvation to the all the nations of the world.  

The liturgical colour for this feast is red symbolising the way in which the blood of the passover and the fire of the Holy Spirit converge to form a palette of passion.

On the first day of Penetecost children, women and men throughout the nations of the world became aware of God’s presence.  The presence of God pervades within us today, each human being without exception.  The Holy Spirit, the advocate, the guide, invites us into a fellowship with God and enriching all of our relationships.  

The Acts of the Apostles describes how men and women hurriedly came together to hear and see and feel and touch this Spirit that was moving within and between them.  The disciples were joined together at the time of Pentecost. They were given the gift of communication to discern and understand others, to listen and to extol.  People from many different nations and cultures first heard, on this day, the word of God.  And they believed.  God gives us this Spirit to build up his church on earth.  This Spirit is within us, and it is our decision whether or not we wish to join in or not.

This idea of the Spirit of God being present – whether dormant or alight – is caught by the poet Joyce Rudd:

Inside each of us there awaits a wonder-full spirit of freedom.

She waits to dance in the rooms of our heart that are closed and dark and cluttered.

She waits to dance in the spaces where negative feelings have built barricades and stock-piled weapons.

She waits to dance in the corners where we still do not believe in our goodness.

Inside each of us there awaits a wonder-full spirit of freedom.

She will lift light feet and make glad songs within us on the day we open the door of ego and let the enemies stomp out.  

The ‘dance’ of Pentecost has caused me to dream. I wonder if we, as a parish church, can kindle a flame of hope and produce a bounty congregation on Pentecost Sunday? Can we invite friends, neighbours, work colleagues and family members to church in order to swell our numbers to 100? Are you up for the challenge? All you need is to forego any embarrassment and ask – my hunch is that people will be pleased, even intrigued to be asked. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a full church to celebrate Pentecost. Just as the church grew from that moment in Jerusalem, maybe our congregation will also grow if we intentionally seek to increase our numbers.

I will be printing 100 sheets for Sunday. I will warn the welcomers to expect a large crowd. So now over to you. Who can you invite? I cannot promise fireworks in the nave or a bonfire in the church garden but I can trust that the Holy Spirit will kindle a small flame of hope for those who attend. Please join me this Sunday at 10am in celebrating Pentecost 100!

Gavin