When the day of Pentecost had come,
they were all together in one place.
And suddenly from heaven there came a sound
like the rush of a violent wind,
and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:1-2
Dear friends,
Have you ever noticed a weather vane atop a church steeple? Take time to look up at the steeples of some of our older New England churches. You’re likely to see they are topped not with a cross, but with a weather vane, sometimes shaped as a rooster, other times more like a beautiful banner, like a flag waving in the wind. Lots of Protestant congregations in New England have weather vanes perched at the highest point of their church buildings. The weather vane is a symbol for watchfulness and redemption, as well as the call to follow the winds of the Spirit.
The force of the Holy Spirit was like the wind as it blew through the disciples at Pentecost. We know that feeling–that wind of the Spirit will blow through our congregation as we celebrate Pentecost on June 4! What a great metaphor for the invisible, mysterious and powerful force it can be in our lives. Invisible, mysterious and powerful, you can’t control the wind, nor can you contain the Spirit of God. Instead, you let it carry you, turn you around, lift and move you, riding it like the wind.
Like a weather vane, our celebration of Pentecost each year reminds us to keep a weather eye on the sky and the direction of the wind of the Spirit. How is it blowing through us? Where do we feel the Spirit’s power propelling us in some direction? Like a weather vane that turns in response to the wind, what do we need to do as a church to stay flexible in terms of meeting the needs of people and the world around us?
Where will the wind of the Spirit blow us next at Edwards Church? Most likely in directions we can hardly imagine…like speaking out for justice at a Sacred Ally Quilt exhibit; becoming ever more welcoming and inclusive as a community of faith; meeting new friends and helping autistic children at Sunrise School in Kenya; and working to care for creation here on our campus and beyond.
Like the disciples on that first Pentecost day, may the wind of the Holy Spirit blow right through us, out of our pews, off the hill in Saxonviille, and out into the world!
Blessings for June,
Karen Nell