Pentecost now

Easter comes to an end with this dramatic reading from Acts. While the timetable is different in other parts of the New Testament, the components are the same - the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and the coming of the Spirit.

Luke's version is a grand Hollywood telling of the story. Full of big effects, rich on symbolism and cultural icebergs, with meek men bursting with courage and proclaiming powerful speeches. It is easy to get hung up on the details and miss the point. Luke is painting a picture to inspire us. Jesus had lived the presence of God in ways that defied much of their understanding of how that should be. That same presence is found still in our community today. When it happens, when we let it happen, the ancient curses that separate us and turn us against each other are undone, and we connect with God and each other in new and life giving ways. In all this, like those first drawn into the life of the Spirit, we are given new identities.

The story goes on today. This week in our church calendar we celebrate some of the many Maori missionaries in this land, many of whom brought the gospel to communities in this diocese. Pentecost is more than one day. It is an ongoing story. It includes those missionaries. Pentecost includes us.