Pentecost 2010

Here is the view from the sanctuary entrance on Pentecost 2010. Thanks to Merri Bame, Jeremy Roberts, Grace Parks, Phyllis Miller, & Mary Ann Stephens for decorating the pews and giving us the "on fire" look.

Pentecost is something of a mystery to many folks & as such it is often regulated to the minor leagues of church events. Lumped in there with Ascension Sunday or Reformation Sunday, Pentecost tends to get the brush off despite being the birthday of the church and the day dedicated to remembering the gift of the Holy Spirit. This short-changing (in my opinion) has to do with our understanding of the Holy Spirit as something intangible, free-form, & "not really our thing" as Reformed folks. We jettison the Spirit for something more tangible, something more cerebral, something measurable, testable, & definable. We jettison the Spirit for "understanding" rather cultivating a sense of the presence of Christ in our lives which is the classic understanding of the Spirit's presence. In other words, we would rather learn about Christ than feel his presence.