Cyber Gleanings, June/July, 2006:

Dear People of St. John’s,

It has been suggested that one can determine the true character of a family by observing how they handle an inheritance.  That scene has been the point of many comic presentations, with each family member sitting in the lawyer’s office, listening to the reading of the “last will and testament.”  Sometimes the inner thoughts are given voice.  Each family member hopes for the largest gift of money, house, land, antiques, or heirloom jewelry.  In reality, there is not much that is funny about it.  When life is measured by material possessions we have little alternative but to rank ourselves with others, even members of our own family.

The members of the family of Jesus the Christ, the continuing body called the Church, have been made inheritors of precious gifts.  Thank God, they are not material objects to squabble about.  John 20:19-31 gives a description about that inheritance.  Jesus comes and stands before his fear-filled followers and says, “Peace be with you.”  He breathes his resurrected, life-giving breath on them and bestows the Holy Spirit.  The peace of God and the Spirit of God cannot be weighed, cannot be held in our hands, cannot be used to rank ourselves against others, and cannot be enshrined.  But, make no mistake and do not be led astray!  The presence of these gifts in the life of the Church can be measured.  The impact of these gifts can be seen in the lives of those who make up the membership of the Church.  When we come to realize how precious and priceless these gifts are we have no recourse but to use them as intended by the giver.  The “Peace of the Lord” and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit are not things to be placed in moth balls and kept in a storage trunk.  They are to be used in the everyday living of our Christian lives. 

On Pentecost Sunday we will celebrate again the giving of these gifts.  I wish we could find some way to elevate the importance of Pentecost in the Church.  It is one of the High Holy Days in the Christian experience.  We usually have increased numbers in church on Christmas Eve and even larger crowds at Easter.  Sadly, for most, Pentecost is just another Sunday that has to compete with the beginning of summer activities, cookouts, family get-togethers, and early vacations.  Schools are often still in session and graduations mark an important transition for many.  Pentecost takes a back seat and does not have the same cultural attention paid to it. 

I would simply attempt to point out in my rather feeble way that without Pentecost we would probably not even bother with Christmas and Easter would be a yearly memorial service, if anything.  It is Pentecost that gives the power to remember a God who would loves us enough to become like us, in order that we might know something of the life and love of God.  It is Pentecost that gives shape to Easter as the celebration of the resurrection and not a solemn reenactment of a death.  If death were all we had, we would stop at Good Friday.  The gifts of Pentecost allow us to move beyond death to life. 

We have been given God’s peace and the Holy Spirit.  At the very least, this means that love is the measure of all things and, we the inheritors must use that standard in measuring our actions in the world.  We have inherited the most precious gifts ever given and it remains as true today as ever.  Our character will be determined and demonstrated for all to see by the manner in which we handle this inheritance. 

May God’s peace and the indwelling Holy Spirit be with you now and always,

                                                                  Tom