Brian’s
Reflection: Sunday, May 27, 2012
[
The Feast of Pentecost in the Christian Kalendar ]
Bishop Steven Charleston
writes so poetically and so beautifully (and “prayerfully”) that I want to
share with you today his words on this Feast of Pentecost.
You
will find, for meditation, the
texts for Pentecost at:
Here are +Steven’s words:
May the flame of the Spirit burn brightly in the church today.
May it dance and flicker and scorch and singe and get us to
move.
May it be just far enough out of our control to make us
uneasy.
May its light wake up the sleepy and its warmth comfort the
ones who cannot find rest.
May the Spirit speak through a thousand voices whose meaning
is known
to the stranger who sits in the far back corner for fear of
being welcomed.
May the house of God shine today, and every day,
with the fire that first kissed us when we huddled in the
darkness,
the fire that still burns in hearts too holy to accept the
cold.
The Collect asks that “the way
of eternal life” be shared with the whole world “through the preaching of the
Gospel”. I think it’s important for us to remember that “the preaching of the
Gospel” means embodying Love in every way … not in forcing or enticing people
to make intellectual assent to dogmas or to churches/institutions. It is clear,
at least to me, from Jesus’ life and teachings that He was first committed to
Love; churches/institutions are but instruments (hopefully) of His essential passion.
Brian+
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