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Dear Ones:
This weekend we celebrate Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit was sent to the followers of Jesus and inspired (in-Spirited) them to go into the world and “be the church.”
I wonder what it was like for them. They were sitting there one minute, surrounded by friends and with their heads full of the usual things we have on our minds. And the next minute the Holy Spirit filled them with “fire in the belly” to go and do the work Jesus left for us to do.
I have to imagine that they all smiled and laughed, they might have cheered and maybe slapped one another on their backs… And then thought… “OH NO.” It's so much work. There is SO much to do. And we are going to split up and be expected to do it without the support of one another…
It is easy to be overwhelmed by the work God has given us to do. So many problems in the world. So many people are hurting, hungry, suffering, starving… How do we even begin?
But here is what I think: we are overthinking it. The point of Pentecost is a reminder that God is already doing the work, that we are called to work with the Spirit, not as independent contractors. God is at work in the world, our job is to notice it, point to it and say, as the Apostles did, “Look, God is good!”
The poet, sage and prophet, Mary Oliver actually framed this beautifully and then named it, for those of us who have to have it made simple: “Instructions for Living a Life.”
Instructions for Living a Life
By Mary Oliver
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
For some that might mean, go for a walk, take a photo of a bird in a tree, post it to Instagram.
For others it might be reading the Bible, feeling as if it was written for you, and journaling about it.
The good news here is that this is really all the Apostles actually did. They went from town to town, pointing out, being enthused and telling people. And you know what happened? The church grew, the church thrived, even when it was still illegal. This is evidence that God is doing the work: if making the church was left to us, we would already have wrecked it. God is doing it, we just have to pay attention, be astonished and tell about it.
Whew, that’s much easier, isn’t it?
You remain in my prayers,
+Shay
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