Rev. Mindy’s Meanderings

I wrote this for the May edition of The Link, Hanslope & Castlethorpe’s monthly church magazine. As it is seasonally appropriate, I thought I would share it with all of you now.

Happy Birthday to us!

Happy Birthday to us!

Happy Birthday, dear church!

Happy Birthday to us!

Pentecost is the Birthday of the church and we will celebrate it in church on the 11^th of May. Pentecost is one of my favorite days of the church year; after all I always like a good Birthday party. Pentecost marks the end of the Easter season, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church.

The story of Pentecost is told in the book of Acts. It tells of the disciples being sad together because Jesus had gone and they missed their friend. They knew they wouldn’t see him again on this side of heaven.

These friends of Jesus gathered to pray together to God when they were surprised by the extraordinary. Suddenly the room filled with the sound of a great rushing wind. It was bright and everywhere they looked they could see what looked like flames of light resting on each other’s heads.

They were then even more surprised that they were speaking and praising God in different languages; languages that they had never spoken before. They were no longer afraid or sad; they were filled with joy and happiness. They rushed out into the street praising God in the different languages they were speaking.

The gift of the God’s Holy Spirit made this miracle possible. That same gift of God’s Holy Sprit assures us that God is with us, through the Holy Spirit, here and now. The miracle of Pentecost began in one small back room but it gave birth to the church, which today still speaks a myriad of languages in praise of God.

On Pentecost you might think of sticking a candle in a piece of cake, singing Happy Birthday to the church, and remembering the gift of the Holy Spirit’s presence with us, which came as wind and light, as you blow out the candle. Happy Birthday, dear church!

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you Happy Easter one last time this year. This week churches celebrate the last Sunday of the Easter Season. Let this picture of the Easter Garden at St. James Church, New Bradwell remind you of the mystery and love of the Easter season. Happy Easter!

As Easter season ends, churches prepare for Pentecost on the 11th of May. At Pentecost we celebrate the birthday of the church in the gift of the Holy Spirit. Despite the Easter season ending this Sunday, every Sunday we gather together as Christians to praise and worship God we always remember the joy and promise of Easter. For one last time this year, Happy Easter!

The church is still celebrating Easter… are you? The idea of new life emerging from what was thought to be dead is so amazing that it takes us all a while to wrap our heads around it. For that reason this upcoming Sunday (April 27th) is the 6th of 7 weeks the church sets aside to celebrate Easter. I encourage you to take a moment and ponder the precious wonder of new life, in any of its myriad of forms, as part of your celebrations this Easter season.

I took the above photo at the garden tomb in Jerusalem, one of the reputed burial sites of Jesus. The photo is a bit dark, making the sign it difficult to read, but the sign on the door says, “He is not here - for he has risen” I wouldn’t have noticed the sign on the door, but we were there at closing time and they were locking up. I was immensely touched by this sign because the group I was with had just been hearing about the disputes over where the actual tomb of Jesus was. Hearing about the disputes brought me no clarity as to what the actual spot was and for that reason I appreciated the sign. It reminded me that the most important thing was not the burial but the risen life which followed. Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Easter is too big a celebration to be contained to one day, so the church year gives it an entire season lasting seven weeks. I find this extended Easter season helpful because sometimes it takes quite a while for the miracle of new life and abundant joy to sink deeply into our heads and hearts. So please don’t think Easter is finished as you put your Easter dress back in the closet, pack up your Easter bonnet, or finish the last of the chocolate eggs. You can go to church in the coming weeks and still appropriately greet people with a cheery “Happy Easter!”

This photo of a first century Jewish tomb in Israel was taken in the summer of 2004. The tomb is now just by the side of the road. I took the picture while traveling in the Middle East with a group of seminary students on the Middle East Travel Seminar.