The language of marriage
They met at a party. Maria was a third-generation college senior from a Massachusetts Italian/Irish family and he was a doctoral student from Iran. Despite their differences in just about everything, they fell in love and married. That was 25 years and four children ago.
Their relationship has had its difficult moments, to be sure. Bridging two such different cultures and histories and religions and languages has not been without its challenges. As Maria writes in an essay in The Boston Sunday Globe Magazine, their life together required extraordinary sensitivity and listening:
“We muddled through some memorable ‘that’s not what I meant’ episodes that were made worse by our different cultural perspectives. Masoud’s English was near perfect, but he was prone to word mix-ups that caused unnecessary arguments. Once I was insulted because he called me ‘durable’ when, in fact, he was trying to tell me I was ‘adorable.’ Then, too, language is more than words. He was raised in a Muslim culture where men and women avoid direct eye contact, but I found it disconcerting that he would not look at me when talking.
“Time and again, we resorted to rounds of bickering — ‘You Americans have no culture’ and ‘Why are you so Iranian?’ — that left hurt feelings and stirred mutual doubt about our marital compatibility. But a marriage is more than stereotypes. Commitment to our relationship has meant a willingness to clarify our statements to each other and learn to decipher the hidden meanings behind what the other says.“With time, I have learned that Farsi is characterized by elaborate linguistic courtesy that generally avoids confrontation. Masoud’s habit of answering ‘thank you’ to every request instead of a definitive ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is his way of being polite. And gradually he has realized that my cheerful ‘American’ optimism doesn’t mean that I am always happy.”
Maria and Masoud know all too well the reality that “marriage is unpredictable and complicated, a never-ending and sometimes painstaking process of give-and-take that still allows for our cultural differences.”
[From “A Marriage’s Cultural Missteps” by Maria Olia, The Boston Globe Magazine, March 25, 2012.]
The real miracle of Pentecost (Acts 2) is one of listening: The Spirit of God overcomes the barriers of language and perception, opening not only the crowds’ minds but their hearts to hear the word of God spoken by Peter and the Eleven. The Spirit enables us to listen to the voice of God in the context of God’s compassion and peace, enabling us to hear what God actually speaks and not what we want or hope to hear. As on Pentecost, God’s Spirit continues to speak in the love of the Beatitudes, in the forgiveness of the prodigal’s father, in the generosity of the Good Samaritan, in the hope of the resurrection. God’s Spirit enables a wife and husband to love enough to listen with their hearts, to discern one another’s real meaning that is much deeper than the imperfect, imprecise words they “say” to one another. The gift of Pentecost faith enables us to hear the voice of God speaking in the midst of the clamor and busyness, the pain and despair, of our lives, inviting us to embrace the life and love of God in our homes and hearts.From Fr. Tony Kadavil:
1) Treasure within: An old beggar lay on his deathbed. His last words were to his youngest son who had been his constant companion during his begging trips. “Dear son," he said, “I have nothing to give you except a cotton bag and a dirty bronze bowl which I got in my younger days from the junk yard of a rich lady.” After his father’s death, the boy continued begging, using the bowl his father had given him. One day a gold merchant dropped a coin in the boy’s bowl and he was surprised to hear a familiar clinking sound. “Let me check your bowl,” the merchant said. To his great surprise, he found that the beggar’s bowl was made of pure gold. “My dear young man," he said, “why do you waste your time begging? You are a rich man. That bowl of yours is worth at least thirty thousand dollars.”
We Christians are often like this beggar boy who failed to recognize and appreciate the value of his bowl. We fail to appreciate the infinite worth of the Holy Spirit living within each of us, sharing His gifts and fruits and charisms with us. On this major feast day we are invited to experience and appreciate the transforming, sanctifying and strengthening presence of the Holy Spirit within us. This is also a day to renew the promises made to God during our Baptism and Confirmation, to profess our faith, and practice it.
Anecdote 2: “Lower your bucket-- taste and see”: More than a century ago, a great sailing ship was stranded off the coast of
“Come Holy Spirit
Make our ears to hear
Make our eyes to see
Make our mouths to speak
Make our hearts to seek
Make our hands to reach out
And touch the world with your love. AMEN.”
Speaking the same language:
Almost hundred years ago Dr. Zamenhof, a Polish linguist, constructed a new language that could be shared by people throughout the world. The artificial language Dr. Zamenhof created is called Esperanto, "the language of hope." The name signifies hope for humankind that a common language might heal the divisions that exist among the different peoples of the earth. The feast of Pentecost is the Church's celebration of her unity and universality in the Holy Spirit, and so some of the readings used express this in terms of language. Dr. Zamenhof's invention of a universal language like Esperanto has been followed by the establishment of the United Nations Assembly, by
Evangelist Billy Graham tells of a time during the early years of his preaching ministry when he was due to lead a crusade meeting in a town in
The seven gifts.
1) The gift of wisdom: Four-year-old Amanda was taken to the doctor’s office with a fever. The doctor looked in her ears and asked, "Who’s in there? Donald Duck?"
She said, "No." He looked in her open mouth, "Who’s in there? Mickey Mouse?"
Again she said, "No." He put his stethoscope on her heart and asked, "Who’s in there? Barney?"
Amanda replied, "No, Jesus is in my heart. Barney is in the pocket of my underwear."
2) The gift of understanding: A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew pictures. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's artwork. As she came to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."
The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing the girl replied, "They will in a minute."
3) The gift of counsel: Just after receiving his driver’s license, a Lutheran minister’s son wanted to talk about using the family car. “I’ll make a deal with you,” his father said. “Bring your grades up, read your Bible more often, and get a haircut. Then you may use the car once or twice a week.” A month later the question came up again. “Son,” the father said, “I’m proud of you. I see you studying hard and reading your Bible every day. But you didn’t get a haircut.” After a moment’s pause, the son replied, “Yeah, I’ve thought about that. But Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, and even Jesus had long hair.” “True,’ the father replied, “but may be you noticed that they walked wherever they went.”
4) The gift of fortitude: A mother refused to permit her little boy to go for a picnic with his classmates. On the day of the picnic, however, she changed her mind and gave him permission. But he sighed and confessed, "It's too late Mummy, I've already prayed for rain on the school picnic day!"
5) The gift of fear of God: Do not ride in automobiles: they are responsible for 20% of fatal accidents. Do not stay home: 1% of all accidents occur in home. Do not walk on the streets or sidewalks: 14% of all accidents occur at such times. Do not travel by air, rail, or water: 16% of all accidents happen on planes, trains or boats. Only .001% of all deaths occur in worship services in church, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders. Hence the safest place for you to be at any time is at church!
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From Fr. Jude Botelho:
At Pentecost the Spirit breaks through all the barriers and comes dramatically with all the signs that accompany it. The Spirit comes like a mighty wind, unstoppable and unpredictable; the Spirit comes as fire that enlightens, warms and purifies; the Spirit comes in the shape of tongues descending on each of the apostles giving each one the gift of speaking, of communicating. The miracle of Pentecost is not seen only in the external signs that accompany it, but is seen in the transformation brought about in the apostles themselves. At Pentecost the apostles become fearless and face the crowds and are proud to proclaim Jesus Christ. Before Pentecost they did not understand things that Jesus explained to them, now they not only understood but they themselves were understood by people who listened to them. When they were least expecting it, the promise that Jesus gave was fulfilled. God cannot be controlled or put on our time-table. So often God is at work in our lives but we do not recognize it.
Did you ever notice the Spirit in yourself or others around you?Some days ago I asked some school children to tell me about the Holy Spirit. They told me about fire, the storm, Peter on the balcony, the languages and the baptisms in the street. When I asked them: "Did you ever notice the work of the Spirit in yourself or others around you?" No one knew what to answer. They looked at me with their large querying eyes. I changed the question. I asked them: "Did you ever do anything really good?" Again they had no answer. Again I asked: "Did your parents, father and mother, ever do anything good?" No answer. So I said: "Sit down comfortably. Close your eyes ask yourself, what good did I do?" They sat down as comfortably as they could. They closed their eyes and suddenly the answers came. One had saved a small child from a river. One had forgiven her sisters. One said: "My mother takes care of me. That is good." Another said: "My father is helping a poor man." Slowly, slowly they became aware of the good, the love, the care in their daily lives: the work of the Holy Spirit.
Joseph Donders in 'Praying and Preaching the Sunday Gospel'
In today's gospel John shows how closely the presence of the Spirit in the Church was connected with the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The descent of the Spirit ushers in the blessing of peace, "Peace be with you! Shalom!" Secondly, the Spirit is the gift of the Father breathed on them, given to them by Jesus. It is always a gift given from the abundance of the Father, and the gift becomes valuable when we accept it with open hands and with an open heart, believing in the power of this Holy Spirit. Those who receive the gift experience the forgiveness of sins; they are healed and set free from the bondage of sin in all its varied forms. The Spirit brings reconciliation with God and we in turn are called to be instruments of peace and forgiveness towards all our brothers and sisters. By tying the gift of the Holy Spirit to Easter, the gospel emphasises that the Spirit is the gift of the Risen One, and as such conveys the benefits of His death and resurrection. The Pentecost imagery of wind and fire emphasises the replacement of the Mosaic Law by the gift of the new law of the Spirit as the basis of life for the new community gathered together and bound together by the Holy Spirit.
The important lesson
I was sitting on a beach one summer day, watching two children, a boy and a girl playing in the sand. They were hard at work, by the water's edge, building an elaborate sand castle with gates and towers and moats and internal passages. Just when they had nearly finished their project, a big wave came and knocked it down, reducing it to a heap of wet sand. I expected the children to burst into tears, devastated by what had happened to all their hard work. But they surprised me. Instead, they ran up the shore away from the water, laughing and holding hands and sat down to build another castle. I realized that they had taught me an important lesson. All the things in our lives, all our complicated structures we spend so much time and energy creating, are built on sand. Only our relationships with other people endure. Sooner or later, the wave will come along and knock down what we have worked so hard to build up. When that happens, only the person who has somebody's hand to hold will be able to laugh.
Rabbi Harold Kushner from 'Stories for a Man's Heart'
Pentecost everywhere, all the time
I was in an underground train, a crowded train in which all sorts of people jostled together, sitting and strap-hanging -workers of every description going home at the end of the day. Quite suddenly I saw in my mind, as vividly as a wonderful picture, Christ in them all. But I saw more than that: not only was Christ in everyone of them, living in them, dying in them, rejoicing in them, sorrowing in them -because He was in them and because they were here, the whole world was here too, here in this underground train: not only the world as it was at this moment, not only all the people in all the countries of the world, but all the people who had lived in the past, and all those yet to come. I came out into the street and walked for a long time in the crowds. It was the same here, on every side, in every passerby-Christ!
Caryll Houselander in 'A Rocking-horse Catholic'
The Indwelling Spirit
Rossini was an Italian who composed some beautiful music. He was once given a beautiful watch by the King of France. He was very proud of this watch because it was a royal gift. A few years after he had been given it, he showed it to a friend. His friend told him that although he had the watch for years he did not know its real value. "Impossible" said Rossini. "Lend it to me for a moment", said his friend. Taking the watch, he touched a secret spring and an inner case flew open revealing a beautiful little painting of Rossini himself. The composer had never known that the painting was there.
Anthony Castle in 'Quotes and Anecdotes'
The Spirit of Reconciliation
There were two brothers living on adjoining farms who developed a bitter conflict. It began with a small misunderstanding that grew into a major difference, and exploded into bitter exchange of words. They stopped talking to each other as well as visiting each other. One day a man came knocking at the door of John the elder brother. It was a carpenter looking for a day's work. John said, "Look across the creek at that farm. Once there was a meadow between our farms but my brother bulldozed it and now there stands a creek between us. Well, he might have done it to spite me. But I got the better of him. I have a pile of lumber in my barn and I want you to build an 8-foot tall fence so I don't have to look at his place anymore. Okay?" Meanwhile, John needed to go to town for supplies. When he returned he stood horrified because there was no fence but a bridge. And to his amazement his younger brother came across the bridge with arms outstretched. The two brothers embraced one another. Sometimes we need a third person to reconcile us. No wonder Jesus sent his Spirit to us to do that job. Peace and forgiveness are the two signs of a transformed people. Pentecost is the right time to renew our commitment to peace and forgiveness.
John Pichappilly in 'The Table of the Word'
Nourish the right Spirit
Every Sunday, a tribal from the mountain used to come to the market place along with two dogs - a white dog and a black dog. He had trained the dogs to fight on command. Every Sunday afternoon there used to be a dogfight in which the people in the market-place used to take bets. One Sunday the black dog won; another Sunday the white dog won - whichever dog won, invariably the tribal always won. His friends asked him what the secret of his winning was. He said, "I starve one and feed the other. The one I feed always wins because he is stronger." -We have two natures within us, fighting for mastery -the carnal and the spiritual nature, or the sinful and Christ-filled nature. The one we feed the most wins in the end. If we feed our spiritual nature and allow the Holy Spirit to empower us, He rules over us. But if we feed our sinful nature, the flesh rules over us. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. "Come Holy Spirit!"
John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies'
Did you ever notice the Spirit in yourself or others around you?Some days ago I asked some school children to tell me about the Holy Spirit. They told me about fire, the storm, Peter on the balcony, the languages and the baptisms in the street. When I asked them: "Did you ever notice the work of the Spirit in yourself or others around you?" No one knew what to answer. They looked at me with their large querying eyes. I changed the question. I asked them: "Did you ever do anything really good?" Again they had no answer. Again I asked: "Did your parents, father and mother, ever do anything good?" No answer. So I said: "Sit down comfortably. Close your eyes ask yourself, what good did I do?" They sat down as comfortably as they could. They closed their eyes and suddenly the answers came. One had saved a small child from a river. One had forgiven her sisters. One said: "My mother takes care of me. That is good." Another said: "My father is helping a poor man." Slowly, slowly they became aware of the good, the love, the care in their daily lives: the work of the Holy Spirit.
Joseph Donders in 'Praying and Preaching the Sunday Gospel'
In today's gospel John shows how closely the presence of the Spirit in the Church was connected with the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The descent of the Spirit ushers in the blessing of peace, "Peace be with you! Shalom!" Secondly, the Spirit is the gift of the Father breathed on them, given to them by Jesus. It is always a gift given from the abundance of the Father, and the gift becomes valuable when we accept it with open hands and with an open heart, believing in the power of this Holy Spirit. Those who receive the gift experience the forgiveness of sins; they are healed and set free from the bondage of sin in all its varied forms. The Spirit brings reconciliation with God and we in turn are called to be instruments of peace and forgiveness towards all our brothers and sisters. By tying the gift of the Holy Spirit to Easter, the gospel emphasises that the Spirit is the gift of the Risen One, and as such conveys the benefits of His death and resurrection. The Pentecost imagery of wind and fire emphasises the replacement of the Mosaic Law by the gift of the new law of the Spirit as the basis of life for the new community gathered together and bound together by the Holy Spirit.
The important lesson
I was sitting on a beach one summer day, watching two children, a boy and a girl playing in the sand. They were hard at work, by the water's edge, building an elaborate sand castle with gates and towers and moats and internal passages. Just when they had nearly finished their project, a big wave came and knocked it down, reducing it to a heap of wet sand. I expected the children to burst into tears, devastated by what had happened to all their hard work. But they surprised me. Instead, they ran up the shore away from the water, laughing and holding hands and sat down to build another castle. I realized that they had taught me an important lesson. All the things in our lives, all our complicated structures we spend so much time and energy creating, are built on sand. Only our relationships with other people endure. Sooner or later, the wave will come along and knock down what we have worked so hard to build up. When that happens, only the person who has somebody's hand to hold will be able to laugh.
Rabbi Harold Kushner from 'Stories for a Man's Heart'
Pentecost everywhere, all the time
I was in an underground train, a crowded train in which all sorts of people jostled together, sitting and strap-hanging -workers of every description going home at the end of the day. Quite suddenly I saw in my mind, as vividly as a wonderful picture, Christ in them all. But I saw more than that: not only was Christ in everyone of them, living in them, dying in them, rejoicing in them, sorrowing in them -because He was in them and because they were here, the whole world was here too, here in this underground train: not only the world as it was at this moment, not only all the people in all the countries of the world, but all the people who had lived in the past, and all those yet to come. I came out into the street and walked for a long time in the crowds. It was the same here, on every side, in every passerby-Christ!
Caryll Houselander in 'A Rocking-horse Catholic'
The Indwelling Spirit
Rossini was an Italian who composed some beautiful music. He was once given a beautiful watch by the King of France. He was very proud of this watch because it was a royal gift. A few years after he had been given it, he showed it to a friend. His friend told him that although he had the watch for years he did not know its real value. "Impossible" said Rossini. "Lend it to me for a moment", said his friend. Taking the watch, he touched a secret spring and an inner case flew open revealing a beautiful little painting of Rossini himself. The composer had never known that the painting was there.
Anthony Castle in 'Quotes and Anecdotes'
The Spirit of Reconciliation
There were two brothers living on adjoining farms who developed a bitter conflict. It began with a small misunderstanding that grew into a major difference, and exploded into bitter exchange of words. They stopped talking to each other as well as visiting each other. One day a man came knocking at the door of John the elder brother. It was a carpenter looking for a day's work. John said, "Look across the creek at that farm. Once there was a meadow between our farms but my brother bulldozed it and now there stands a creek between us. Well, he might have done it to spite me. But I got the better of him. I have a pile of lumber in my barn and I want you to build an 8-foot tall fence so I don't have to look at his place anymore. Okay?" Meanwhile, John needed to go to town for supplies. When he returned he stood horrified because there was no fence but a bridge. And to his amazement his younger brother came across the bridge with arms outstretched. The two brothers embraced one another. Sometimes we need a third person to reconcile us. No wonder Jesus sent his Spirit to us to do that job. Peace and forgiveness are the two signs of a transformed people. Pentecost is the right time to renew our commitment to peace and forgiveness.
John Pichappilly in 'The Table of the Word'
Nourish the right Spirit
Every Sunday, a tribal from the mountain used to come to the market place along with two dogs - a white dog and a black dog. He had trained the dogs to fight on command. Every Sunday afternoon there used to be a dogfight in which the people in the market-place used to take bets. One Sunday the black dog won; another Sunday the white dog won - whichever dog won, invariably the tribal always won. His friends asked him what the secret of his winning was. He said, "I starve one and feed the other. The one I feed always wins because he is stronger." -We have two natures within us, fighting for mastery -the carnal and the spiritual nature, or the sinful and Christ-filled nature. The one we feed the most wins in the end. If we feed our spiritual nature and allow the Holy Spirit to empower us, He rules over us. But if we feed our sinful nature, the flesh rules over us. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. "Come Holy Spirit!"
John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies'
May the Spirit of Jesus fill you and bring newness into your life!
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From Sermons.com
The well-known author and preacher Fred Craddock tells a rather funny story about a lecture he was giving: A few years ago, when he was on the west coast speaking at a seminary, just before the first lecture, one of the students stood up and said, "Before you speak, I need to know if you are Pentecostal." The room grew silent. Craddock said he looked around for the Dean of the seminary! He was nowhere to be found.
The student continued with his quiz right in front of everybody. Craddock was taken aback, and so he said, "Do you mean do I belong to the Pentecostal Church?" He said, "No, I mean are you Pentecostal?" Craddock said, "Are you asking me if I am charismatic?" the student said, "I am asking you if you are Pentecostal." Craddock said, "Do you want to know if I speak in tongues?" He said, "I want to know if you are Pentecostal." Craddock said, "I don't know what your question is." The student said, "Obviously, you are not Pentecostal." He left.
What are we talking about this morning? Is the church supposed to use the word Pentecost only as a noun or can it be used as an adjective? And so I ask you: Are you Pentecostal?
In spite of the fact that the church doesn't know what the adjective means, the church insists that the word remain in our vocabulary as an adjective. The church is unwilling for the word simply to be a noun, to represent a date, a place, an event in the history of the church, refuses for it to be simply a memory, an item, something back there somewhere. The church insists that the word is an adjective; it describes the church. The word, then, is "Pentecostal."
If the church is alive in the world it is Pentecostal. And you thought we were Methodist! [Insert your own tradition here.]
How do we keep this aliveness, this fire burning, this spirit moving? What must exist in us, around us, and through us, if we are to be Pentecostal? Simply these three things:
1. We Are To Be Of One Accord
2. We Are To Join Together Constantly in Prayer
3. We Are To Repent
2. We Are To Join Together Constantly in Prayer
3. We Are To Repent
Let me begin with three quick stories. See if you can find the common thread that runs through them.
The First Story is about a woman who lives here in Texas. She is a motivational speaker who is often asked to give the key-note address at conventions and convocations.
Recently she returned home after speaking five nights in a row. Her husband said: "Honey, I know you must be really tired. Why don't you "sleep in" in the morning?"
That sounded good to her, so she did stay in bed longer than usual. When she finally got up she put on an old worn-out blue robe that was frayed and faded but comfortable... and some old house-shoes that had no back to them... the kind that you have to slide your foot into them... and then slide your foot as you walk to keep them on. Then, she walked by a mirror and saw that her hair was a major disaster... so she stopped and put some of those big pink plastic rollers in her hair. That done, she headed for the kitchen.
When she walked into the kitchen to get her morning coffee, she noticed it immediately. Her husband had forgotten to take out the trash! In that community if you didn't get your trash out on time, it was tough luck. They would not wait for you.
So she grabbed the two big trash bags quickly and began to shuffle outside...
- pulling the heavy trash bags along the ground,
- trying to keep her worn-out robe closed by holding her arms close together,
- sliding her feet along to keep her house-shoes on,
- and sporting huge pink plastic rollers in her hair.
- pulling the heavy trash bags along the ground,
- trying to keep her worn-out robe closed by holding her arms close together,
- sliding her feet along to keep her house-shoes on,
- and sporting huge pink plastic rollers in her hair.
Just at that moment, the garbage truck was pulling away... she shouted to the driver: "Am I too late?" And he took one look at her and replied: "No, hop on!"
The Second Story comes from Dr. Jim Standiford, who is pastor of First United Methodist in San Diego. (FUMC, San Diego, October 31, 2004, "A Vocabulary of Faith Is What America Needs")
When Jim first came to San Diego, he played golf a couple of times with a man named Lawson Cooke. Some months later, Jim's wife said: "Jim, you used to play golf with Lawson Cooke, but you two haven't played together for some time now. Why don't you play golf with Lawson Cooke anymore?"
Jim replied: "Well, would you play golf with somebody who kicked his ball out of the rough into the fairway... or took a countless number of mulligans... or hit the wrong ball... or didn't write down the right score on the score card and kept hitting ball after ball into the lake?"
She said: "No." And Jim said: "Well, Lawson Cooke wouldn't either!!!"
The Third Story comes from a minister who put an ad in the local paper for a well-rounded handyman, who could fix things around the church and help out with routine chores.
The very next morning after the ad ran, a well-dressed young man came and asked to speak to the minister. The pastor "sized up" the young man... and then asked him a flurry of questions:
- Can you start a fire? "Yes Sir!" Can you have breakfast ready by 7:00 a.m. every morning? "Yes Sir!"
- Can you polish the silver and wash the dishes? "Yes Sir!"
- Can you keep things picked up and neat... and the lawn mowed? "Yes Sir!"
- Can you polish the silver and wash the dishes? "Yes Sir!"
- Can you keep things picked up and neat... and the lawn mowed? "Yes Sir!"
And the minister continued: "And, of course, there will be electrical problems and unexpected leaking pipes and restroom overflows and... wait a minute! The young man interrupted, "I came here to make arrangements for my wedding. But if it's going to be like that, I think I'll just forget the whole thing!"
Now, all three of these stories are humorous. They made me laugh when I first heard them... but what is even better about them (and is the common thread that runs through them and links them together)... is the fact that we know these three stories the only way we could... The people telling the stories (the motivational speaker and the two pastors) are all telling the stories on themselves. They are laughing at themselves as they tell the stories and they are doing so with obvious joy and delight.
That is a dramatic sign of a healthy person... to have a sense of humor and to be able to laugh at yourself.
It's delightful to laugh with children at the cute and funny things they sometimes say.
It's fun to laugh at the comical antics of circus clowns or the hilarious wit of good comedians... But, the best humor of all is when we laugh at ourselves. It's a real mark of emotional maturity. It eases our self-pity; it diminishes our pride and saves us from taking ourselves too seriously.
Ethel Barrymore said it well. She said: "You grow up when you get your first good laugh at yourself."
To have a good sense of humor...to be able to laugh at yourself... those are significant and dramatic signs of a healthy personality.
Now, let's take this a little deeper and ask this question: What are the dramatic signs of a healthy faith? It's a good question to raise and think about today as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday (The Birthday of the Church)... Do we as a church family have a healthy faith? ...
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You Are in the Spirit
It's like the story of the shark and the whale. Both were swimming in the sea when the shark swam up to the whale to engage in conversation. As they swam along, the shark said to the whale, "You are so much older than I, and wiser too. Could you tell me where the ocean is?" The whale responded, "The ocean is what you are in now." The shark would not believe it. "Come on, tell me where the ocean is so I may find it!" The whale repeated, "The ocean is here, now; you are in it." Unbelieving, the shark swam away searching for the ocean.
The moral of the story, I believe, is this: don't spend too much time looking for God because the Spirit of God is here in the now of your life, dwelling within you, within me, within this community. And that truth is nurtured in prayer.
Susan M. Fleenor, The Indwelling Spirit of Pentecost
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The Pentecostal Spirit of Love
Today's holy solemnity puts new heart into us, for not only do we revere its dignity, we also experience it as delightful. On this feast it is love that we specially honor, and among human beings there is no word pleasanter to the ear, no thought more tenderly dwelt on, than love.
The love we celebrate is nothing other than the goodness, kindness, and charity of God; for God himself is goodness, kindness, and charity. His goodness is identical with his Spirit, with God himself.
In his work of disposing all things "the Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world" from the beginning, "reaching from end to end of the earth in strength, and delicately disposing everything; but as sanctifier the Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world" since Pentecost, for on this day the gracious Spirit himself was sent by the Father and the Son on a new mission, in a new mode, by a new manifestation of his mighty power, for the sanctification of every creature.
The love we celebrate is nothing other than the goodness, kindness, and charity of God; for God himself is goodness, kindness, and charity. His goodness is identical with his Spirit, with God himself.
In his work of disposing all things "the Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world" from the beginning, "reaching from end to end of the earth in strength, and delicately disposing everything; but as sanctifier the Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world" since Pentecost, for on this day the gracious Spirit himself was sent by the Father and the Son on a new mission, in a new mode, by a new manifestation of his mighty power, for the sanctification of every creature.
Aelred of Rievaulx (1109-67)
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Control
A wealthy family from Massachusetts used to take a month's vacation every summer to the coast of Maine, taking their maid with them. The maid had an annual ritual at the beach. She wore an old-fashioned bathing suit, complete with a little white hat, and carried enough paraphernalia to stock Wal-Mart. She would settle herself on the beach, cover every inch of her exposed flesh and journey down to the water's edge. There she would hesitate while taking deep breaths and working up her courage to enter the icy-cold water. Finally, she would daintily extend one foot and lower it slowly into the water until she barely had her big toe submerged. Then she repeated the act with the other foot. Then, having satisfied her minimal urge for a swim, she would retreat to her chair and umbrella and spend the remainder of the vacation curled around a book.
I'm afraid that may be a parable of our Christian commitment. Are we afraid to give in to the Pentecost experience, fearful that we might lose control? That's what it is really all about, isn't it? Control. We want to be in control. Well, if Pentecost is to do nothing else, it should remind us that we are not in control, not even - or perhaps I should say especially - of ourselves.
Randy L. Hyde, Time to Deliver
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They All Come TogetherI'm afraid that may be a parable of our Christian commitment. Are we afraid to give in to the Pentecost experience, fearful that we might lose control? That's what it is really all about, isn't it? Control. We want to be in control. Well, if Pentecost is to do nothing else, it should remind us that we are not in control, not even - or perhaps I should say especially - of ourselves.
Randy L. Hyde, Time to Deliver
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John Ortberg tells the story of a friend who made his first trip south of the Mason-Dixon Line from Chicago to Georgia. On his first morning in the South he went into a restaurant to order breakfast, and it seemed that every dish included something called grits...which, as my Tennessee friends tell me, is exactly the way God intended it. Not being familiar with this southern delicacy, he asked the waitress, "Could you tell me, exactly what is a grit?" Looking down on him with a mixture of compassion and condescension, she said, "Sugar, you can't get just one grit. They always come together."
John Wesley knew there was no personal holiness without social holiness, and Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Dillard says, "You can no more go to God alone than you can go to the North Pole alone." We're just like grits...you can't get just one. They come together.
John E. Harnish, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
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Peace
The peace Jesus gives to us through the Holy Spirit is more than we can ever imagine:
Peace means the cessation of all warfare, but it also means much more.
Peace means a feeling of inner well-being, but it also means much more.
Peace means an end to psychological tensions, but it also means much more.
Peace means halting interpersonal conflicts, but it also means much more.
Peace means the settling of silence on the soul, but it also means much more.
Peace means a feeling of inner well-being, but it also means much more.
Peace means an end to psychological tensions, but it also means much more.
Peace means halting interpersonal conflicts, but it also means much more.
Peace means the settling of silence on the soul, but it also means much more.
In Valyermo, California , the Benedictines converted a 400-acre ranch into a religious community called St. Andrew's Priory. As you enter the grounds, you find that the land is posted: "No Hunting Except for Peace."
The world is hunting for peace. What will we give it?the torch of Christ's ministry with great commitment. In the story, Jesus returns to heaven after His time on earth. The angels gather around Him to learn what all happened during His days on earth. Jesus tells them of the miracles, His teachings, His death on the cross, and His resurrection.
When He finishes his story, Michael the Archangel asks Jesus, "But what happens now?" Jesus answers, "I have left behind eleven faithful disciples and a handful of men and women who have faithfully followed me. They will declare My message and express My love. These faithful people will build My church." "But," responds Michael, "What if these people fail?...
