Oh, friends, we may not be allowed to leave the house much, but things are hectic! We have journeyed through the great Mystery of Easter at a time when we desperately need the hope or resurrection, and now we have arrived at Pentecost. And this week, something occurred to me.
As I was brainstorming ways to celebrate Pentecost at home, I was thinking about how we call Pentecost the Birthday of the Church. But here’s the thing, Easter is a Re-Birthday, and Christmas is a Birthday. Never mind the simple spiral of the Church Year. There are so many beginnings and we undeniably need that right now.
I turned 30 in quarantine, as did my wife. I’m sure many of you have had loved ones and children celebrate birthdays during this time, or who will. Maybe you did, too. Maybe it felt sad, or just strange. Well, imagine how the disciples-turned-apostles felt on that first Birthday of the Church. Jesus had just fully left them, having ascended into Heaven just days before. Everyone thought they were drunk or maybe crazy until they realized something miraculous was going on. It was strange and scary, but it was also joyous.
So, how will you celebrate Pentecost this year?
To start, I offer you the Godly Play Mystery of Pentecost, made from things in my home. That’s normally how we operate around here, but consider it a good reminder of how much we can do with just a few odds and ends. Cardboard is basically currency around here.
Don’t miss Illustrated Ministry’s Pentecost coloring page, or Trinity Wall Street’s reading of The Day When God Made Church.
Are you stress baking? I’ve mostly been baking bread, but now might be a good time to bake a cake - maybe red velvet in keeping with the Pentecost color scheme. You can even dye you cake naturally using beets!
Pentecost is also a great time to explore the many languages of your family. When the Language of God’s People splintered into many parts, what did your family receive? A few years ago, I was part of a congregation that shared simultaneous readings of the Pentecost Gospel in many languages, mimicking the chaos of babble and the understanding brought back by the Holy Spirit. I read the passage in Russian, which was certainly an adventure!
However you choose to celebrate, whether in red or with bells and streamers, birthday hats and cake - whatever you choose, may it be Holy and Joyous.
Be Well and Blessed Pentecost,
A. Bird