This week's author is the Rev. Dr. Ron Brown, Associate Conference Minister for Clergy Concerns for the Connecticut Conference, UCC.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind,
and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as
of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of
them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages,
as the Spirit gave them ability.
The Day of Pentecost approaches -- a day of wind and fire and the word
preached in a language that we all comprehend. It is a day of chaos and
mystery and understanding. It is the birthday of the church.
As I experience the church, it is still a place of chaos and mystery and
understanding. Every time I feel like I get a handle on the direction God is
calling the church to go, or a clear sense of the mission of the church, the
wind blows or there is another fire. I have to listen again in order to
understand. I think that's what God always intended for the church, that we
never truly will be able to get it tamed or adequately organized. God's
moving among us in this wonderful institution we call the church will always
be something of a mystery; always be in some state of chaos; always have the
potential to change our lives -- and the lives of those around us.
Perhaps the church of Jesus Christ will always be like the wind -- always
moving, always mysterious, always calling us to be more than we could
possibly otherwise be.
I remember a very windy spring day when my twin daughters were just 3.
Wailing gusts of rushing air were making the wind chime on our deck sing a
chaotic song, and one of them, Lydia, the dancer, asked, "Daddy, may I go
out and dance with the wind?" "Sure, have fun," I replied. I watched as she
swirled and twirled out on the deck, dancing and playing with the wind. It
made me think of a verse from a Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem:
We cannot live, except thus mutually
We alternate, aware or unaware,
The reflex act of life: and when we bear
Our virtue onward most impulsively,
Most full of invocation, and to be
Most instantly compellant, certes, there
We live most life, whoever breathes most air...
In truth, "there we live most life, whoever breathes most air..." Perhaps
Lydia would say the truth differently: "There we live most life, whoever
dances most wind..." Maybe that is what it means to be the church.
Go therefore, and dance the wind of God's Spirit.
An Excerpt of a Prayer by Howard Thurman:
As a sea gull lays in the wind current,
So I lay myself into the Spirit of God.
My dearest human relationships,
My most precious dreams,
I surrender to his care.
All that I have called my own I give back.
All my favorite things
Which I would withhold in my storehouse
From his fearful tyranny,
I let go.
I give myself
Unto thee O my God. Amen.
Please remember:
the Groton Congregational Church UCC and the loved ones of Carolyn Orkney, Christian Education Director at the church, who died unexpectedly on April 24th;
the Rev. M. J. Hinchliff, pastor of First Church of Christ, Congregational, UCC of East Haddam, who is being treated for breast cancer;
the Church of Jesus Christ around the world, as it celebrates its birth, and the many persons who will be confirmed this Sunday;
those ill with influenza, their caregivers and families, and those who seek to avert or respond to its outbreak;
the leaders of this nation, that they may meet the challenges of the day with insight, wisdom, and compassion;
those suffering due to the ongoing financial woes of the nation, be they struggling to meet an unaffordable mortgage, confronting the loss of a job, or working to find just resolutions to the crisis; and
those serving or living in war or conflict zones around the world, or where terrorists have struck, particularly in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Colombia, and the Sudan.
To be added to the prayer list, please send an email to your Regional Minister or to webmaster@ctucc.org.
Sharon
Sharon Congregational Church
P The Rev. Terrence W. Ryan
AP The Rev. Jody T. Guerrera
Shelton
Cong'l Church, Inc.
P The Rev. Shepard Parsons
Shelton
Huntington Cong'l Ch
IN The Rev. John W. Collins
CE Ms. Jill Jennings
Simsbury
First Church of Christ
P The Rev. Jonathan J. Morgan
AP The Rev. Alison J. Buttrick Patton
AP The Rev. Kevin L. Weikel
MM Mr. Mark Mercier
CE Ms. Cindy Cole
Somers
Somers Cong'l Church
P The Rev. Barry Cass
CE Ms. Ingrid Goodenow
Somersville
Cong'l Ch of Somersville
P The Rev. Graham F. Van Keuren
CE Ms. Lori Longueuil
To read previous editions of the Spirit Calendar, visit:
http://www.ctucc.org/fido/spiritcalendar/
To learn more about or subscribe to the Spirit Calendar, visit:
http://www.ctucc.org/fido/
The Spirit Calendar: May 26, 2009 by Rev. Dr. Ron Brown, Associate Conference Minister for Clergy Concerns
