Pentecost During A Pandemic

As Eastertide begins to end, it leads to the next and last Holy Day before entering into Ordinary Times (which will be discussed in a different post): Pentecost.

This year, Pentecost is on Sunday May 31st. I assume that most will have some understanding of Pentecost, but if not, here is a brief summary of Pentecost.

Pentecost occurs fifty days after Easter, it's name derived from the Greek Πεντηκοστή (Pentēkostē), which means, "fiftieth." "Pentecost" during the Second Temple Period actually was (and still is) the Greek rendition for the Jewish festival of שבעות (Shavuot), which means, "weeks." Shavuot also occurred fifty days after Passover (you may notice the similarities between the Jewish and Christian holy days, with the Church "morphing" their meaning, for a lack of a better phrase). It's origins were based on the celebration of the early summer wheat harvest, but it later also celebrated the giving of the Torah (the Laws) to Moses on Mt. Sinai. It was a pilgrimage festival, meaning that they had to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem where God's Temple resided to celebrate it.

For the Church, Pentecost turned into the day when the Church commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit, who descended upon the Apostles and others who were with them as "tongues of fire." They begin to speak in different languages, confounding the pilgrims. Peter then began to preach the Gospel, that Jesus was crucified and then resurrected, and now is the Christ, the Messiah, the King. It was said that about 3,000 of these pilgrims changed their hearts, swore allegiance to Jesus, and was baptized. This event is seen as the beginning of the Christian Church.

Traditionally, Pentecost was a prime time for baptism in the early church. The liturgical color was red to symbolize the "tongues of fire."

So how does one celebrate Pentecost during the pandemic? Flo Oakes, a contributor for The Diocese Of Churches For The Sake Of Others (C4SO), provides five ways to celebrate:

1. Feast Together.

It is a feast day, after all! Pick out your favorite feast foods and break bread together. Use red napkins at the table. Afterward, put on your favorite music and hold a living room dance party. Maybe even wear red.

Ask: I wonder how the disciples felt when God gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit?

2. Listen Together.

Grab a blanket and sit outside on the grass. Close your eyes. Pay attention to the physical sensations of being outside. Do you hear any birdcalls? Is it windy outside? Can you hear the rustling of the grass in the breeze or feel the wind on your skin?

Ask: I wonder if there is anything about being outside that reminds you of God?

3. Read Together.

Light a candle and read the story of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-2) together as a family. Depending on the ages of your family members, you could read from a storybook Bible or straight from scripture (for older members, you could read Acts 2 in its entirety). You might even consider lighting a bonfire outdoors if you are able.

Ask: I wonder if the disciples were afraid of the fire?

4. Create Together.

We see the Holy Spirit represented at times as fire, wind, and even a dove. Younger children may enjoy making a pinwheel like this and seeing what happens on a breezy day. We can’t see the wind, but we can see what happens to a pinwheel when the wind turns it.

Ask: We can’t see wind, but we know it’s there—I wonder if that reminds you of anything else?

Very small children might like to make a dove craft like this using their hands:

Ask: I wonder why God sometimes used a dove to represent the Holy Spirit?

5. Sing Together.

God gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples on Pentecost—can you imagine how they had felt up to this point, waiting for this promised gift, wondering what in the world was going on after their world had been turned upside down? How they longed to hear from their friend, Jesus!

We are currently in a time of waiting as well. We long to hear from God in these strange and unprecedented days. “Spirit of the Living God,” by Audrey Assad, reminds us that God is the same God then and now. It’s God’s voice and breath that we have always longed for. Sometimes God’s voice is clear and sometimes we wonder where God is—or if God is even with us at all. Children feel all of these things, too. Consider learning/singing this song together as a family.

Ask: I wonder if there is a time you can remember when you heard from God, or when God felt close?

Pentecost is a day to commemorate the beginning of the Church, from a couple dozen to about three thousand people. It commemorates the beginning of the Church's mission to preach the Good News that Jesus is Lord and that the Kingdom of God is here and is coming.

We may be stuck inside, but mission doesn't stop, it continues no matter what, just in a different form at this time.

Reference:

Oakes, F. (2020, May 18). 5 Ways to Celebrate at Home. The Diocese Of Churches For The Sake Of Others. https://www.c4so.org/5-ways-to-celebrate-pentecost-at-home/

Resources: Common Prayer: A Liturgy For Ordinary Radicals

I've shared this many times via snippets, but I want to provide a full introduction for Common Prayer: A Liturgy For Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Okoro. This is a book and an app whose purpose is to provide a form of hourly prayer and liturgy to mainly Protestant communities, all to strengthen faith and community, a practice of spiritual formation.

The main body is its three separate liturgies: morning, midday, and evening. The morning liturgies are always different and unique for each day of the year (that is, 365 different liturgies). The midday liturgy is always the same throughout the year. The evening prayer is always different and unique for each day of the week (that is, 7 different liturgies). The awesome part of it is that it is ecumenical and culturally-diverse, introducing prayers and prominent Christians and saints from a variety of traditions, as well as historical events meant to urge one to reflect on the mission of the Church. In addition, there are prayers for various occasions, ranging from blessing a garden to mourning the death of someone killed in your neighborhood.

Personally for me, it has helped me with being consistent with prayer as I now pray at least three times a day. It has also helped me better understand what the contents of my prayer should be like. And finally, it is beginning to form my conscience of abiding in the Son, the importance of communal living, and concern for the marginalized.

If you want to download it on your phone, you can simply search it up on an app store and download it (don't be confused with the Anglican Church's Book of Common Prayer, which is another resource I highly recommend using). If you want to buy a physical copy, you can do so on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Common-Prayer-Liturgy-Ordinary-Radicals/dp/0310326192/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=. Better yet, you can borrow it from your local library or through Link+, an online service which allows you to borrow books from other affiliated libraries (this is part of the San Francisco Public Library service): http://linkencore.iii.com/iii/encore/;jsessionid=36F2D08534B2EF7A3651DDAE4F7D4032?lang=eng.

Denmark, Dirk Willems, and the Words of Claire of Assisi

On May 16, 1792, Denmark decided that t was immoral to participate in the trading of human beings and became the first European country to ban the transportation of slaves from their country.

It is also worth noting that this day marks the martyrdom of Dirk Willems. Willems is one of the most celebrated martyr in the Anabaptist tradition (which includes Mennonites, Brethren, and Amish). He was born in the Netherlands and lived during a tumultuous time in Christendom. He is most famous for escaping from prison and turning around to rescue one of his pursuers, who had fallen through the thin ice of a frozen pond while chasing him. He was burned at the stake on May 16, 1569.

Clare of Assisi, a friend of St. Francis in the twelfth century, said, "Place your mind before the mirror of eternity! Place your soul in the brilliance of glory! Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance! And transform your whole being into the image of the Godhead itself through contemplation!"

Amen, amen!

Claiborne, S., Okoro, E., Wilson-Hartgrove, J. (2010). Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.