SOME THOUGHTS FOR PENTECOST I am looking at a painting from a new book by Richard Harries called ‘Seeing God in Art’. The painting ‘The Spirit descends to live with us’ is by Nicholas Mynheer in the Chapel of Worcester College. In the background, lit by early dawn light, is an Oxford quad; in its centre and taking up a quarter of the painting is a cramped room, crammed full of people looking heavenward, their eyes closed in rapture. Their mouths are open and into them pours God’s Holy Spirit like orange and yellow searchlights. Hang on - is the Spirit entering the disciples or bursting forth? It’s impossible to say. The title of the painting suggests one thing, but our reading of scripture alongside the picture would suggest both in fact. That is the point of Pentecost (50 days) or Whitsun (‘Wisdom Sunday’), as we used to call it. God’s Spirit pours on those disciples, crammed into the Upper Room, doors surely locked again. There is a sound like a rushing wind; it seems that each of them is touched with heavenly fire; and out of them burst the Word of God. These huddled people then burst onto the street, which up to that moment had seemed hostile, dangerous even. A crowd from many different countries gathers at the noisy exodus, curious, amazed, mocking. They hear the Good News of what God has done for all of them - and, of course, for all of us too. God loves us, and he has sent his Son Jesus Christ to show us how much he loves us. That is Good News indeed! Peter, who 50 days before had denied Jesus three times, now preaches the sermon all of us wish we could preach and makes 3,000 converts that day. The gift of God’s Spirit, poured into the disciples, leads them to words and action. The Church is born and immediately starts to grow. Now you understand my frustration at not being able to go out and preach the Good News, but God’s Spirit is there for all time, like the Love of God, and there will soon come a time when we are able to gather and open our hearts and our lives to the working of the Spirit and share our love for God and one another with all those around us. That time will come. Believe me, sisters and brothers. It will come. One last thought from this picture and the reading from Acts 2 - the disciples crammed in the Upper Room (and believe me, in the picture they are crammed!) are a community. Christianity, which we see born here, is a community faith. There is room for solitaries like Julian of Norwich, but even Julian had access to a living community the other side of the cell wall. We need each other, and now with the loosening of the lockdown somewhat we can meet with friends and families more than we have been able to for some time. We thank God for that, and wait for the moment when we are truly free, however long that takes.
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AuthorCanon John Green Archives
May 2021
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