No I haven’t been watching reruns
of Sesame Street; though I still believe in “Big Bird” . . .
Today has been Pentecost Sunday
2013. Not only have I enjoyed the day’s significance and empowering; I got to preach!
Celebrating with and inspiring others in Pentecost as historic event and
ongoing reality.
Journeying in the Pentecost texts,
three E’s catch my attention. Not mere letters standing by themselves, but ones
commencing three words; expectation, encounter, and expansion.
Expectation
- Prior to Pentecost the disciples gathered in obedience to Jesus’ last words with an expectation of their realisation; the coming of the Spirit for mission in society (Acts 1:4-8).
- On “the Day” God is with His people in a new way, and by a definite experience. Not ecstatic experience, but obedient-rational encounter with the Spirit. God’s encountering presence empowered them for realisation. That day of Pentecost, a day of encounter, morphed into our present ongoing season of expansion of Kingdom and church in our world of multiple-societys (Acts 2:1-12).
- God’s realised presence became the “centre of their expansion” (Acts 2:41-47), the Divine presence active and expanding in mission.
In the “tradition of Pentecost”
gather with expectation to be encountered by “God the Spirit” accepting Divine encounter
naturally leads to expansion.
So what’s changed?
Nothing!
