More Pentecost

Sermon snippets:
More from Pentecost, Acts 2:1-21
"... In the winter,
before the days of central heating
          earth’s early humans learned the power of flint to spark
                     and the power of friction to flame
                               and the power of kindling to catch
and earth’s children gathered around a blazing fire
          celebrating warmth amidst winter’s icy breath.
In that circle, around that blazing fire,
          our ancestors found the gift of warmth
                   in storytelling and meal-taking and life-sharing.
The ancients found warmth that keeps the beasts at bay
     beasts of sharp tooth and
          beasts of sharp loneliness.

Now our furnaces keep us from tree-cutting and
          log-hauling and fire-building.
                    As our need for muscles decreases
                               our need for each other seems to decrease too.
As we snuggle into the couch,
      feast our eyes on the flickering screen,
           listen to the sounds of our picture boxes
                 and hide inside the cozy boxes of our car and house.

The early humans’ fire wasn’t bright enough to work by.
When night came,
There was just enough light to weave a spark of melody into a song.
Just enough light to design a dance from a beat.
Just enough light to add inches to the fish in the story.  

By day the fire meant food.
By night the fire meant safety, warmth, togetherness, 
              spiritual and creative transcendence.

When was the last time your furnace or
      light bulb or locked door
            was the pulsing heart of social and spiritual nourishment?

We can forget, with electricity and power tools and
      fossil fuels and cars and the internet,
             that we need one another to get warm,
                   be safe, and transcend.

But we do remember and it brings us here as a fiery family of fiery faith.
          We know we need the warmth of storytelling and
                     meal-taking and life-sharing
                                just as much as earth’s early humans.

At the first Pentecost flaming tongues rained upon those gathered
         as kin and community in the Way of Jesus.
They were gathered in the Upper Room, tradition declares,
         the same room where Jesus knelt and washed them in service.
                   and shared the bread and cup,
                             pouring himself out for those he loved.

Now they gather without him, they believe.
But thank God, the Divine routinely exceeds our expectations..."

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