That, at least, is the super abridged, sweeping analysis of what happened that Pentecost day. Today at Saint Paul we're continuing our new ministry "Pray and Play Cafe", a chance for kids to gather with their parents and have a time of prayer and play while learning a Bible lesson. We had a huge crowd this morning:
Of course, all three of them belong to me, but eventually we'll have some other friends to join us ;) (at least that's my hope... otherwise we might have to re-invent ourselves and take this show on the road)
This morning we talked about Pentecost, about how the Spirit works within us to equip all of us for ministry, and how God's Kingdom is filled with people from all different backgrounds, and that even though we don't all look the same or speak the same way, we still are children of God.
Cameron is in the Spanish Immersion program at Martin Millennium Academy (now in FIRST GRADE, HOLY COW!!!) and he said that Pentecost is sort of like how he can understand his teachers when they speak Spanish at school, but he can also understand us when we speak English at home. A pretty good analogy for a 5 year old, I think. See, even though Spanish isn't his native language, when he listens carefully and he pays attention he can understand what is being said at school. At Pentecost, the reason they could understand one another was because of the gift of the Holy Spirit, but in our every day interactions, sometimes all it takes is some intentionality to listen to one another and strive to understand.
Sometimes we break down barriers where there are divisions in language, race, culture, background, nationality, and we build walls instead of seeking to listen and understand one another. Pentecost is a reminder that we are called to be united by the Spirit, united by Christ, united in our love of God and neighbor. Sure, maybe people will think we're crazy. Maybe they'll think we're drunk (see Acts 2). Maybe they'll think it's a lost cause, but can it really hurt to try?
My (almost 6 year old) son understands this. He gets it. We should strive to love our neighbor, regardless of our differences. What can you do to show your love of neighbor today?
~As a side story: a few weeks ago we were at Highway 55 in Tarboro and a complete stranger paid for our meal. My kids had been yelling and acting crazy and I'm used to someone in those situations making comments about how I have my hands full or offering unwanted advice about how to calm everyone down. However, this kind person didn't do that... he just paid for our meal (probably because he noticed our insanity) and said that because he had been blessed, he wanted us to feel blessed too.
I'm sure there were plenty of other people in that restaurant who needed it more than we did, but it sure meant a lot for someone to share that act of kindness with us. This person probably had different political beliefs than us, probably didn't share our history, we might not even have the same religious beliefs, but none of that came up and it didn't matter. What mattered in that moment was love of neighbor, and while it may seem small, to us it was huge, and it's exactly the way we should be loving one another in this world. ~
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