By BOB MADSEN

Members of churches that follow the liturgical calendar are aware that we have entered the season of the Christian year that is sometimes referred to as “Ordinary Time.” (That means the Sundays in this period are typically referred to by numbers, as in 11th Sunday in ordinary time, rather than festivals, like Easter, Pentecost, Epiphany, and the like).

Presbyterians are not very liturgical, but we have been working at it over the years. We are probably somewhere in the mid-range between what is characterized as “low church” (nothing fancy) and “high church” (all the bells and whistles).

As we have been working on being more liturgical, we have taken to referring to the Sundays in this portion of the year as the Sundays after Pentecost. Pentecost always falls 50 days after the day of Easter, making the days in between the season of Easter. While there are festival days between now and the end of the Christian calendar, there is no major liturgical season until we reach Advent, which is the beginning of the church year.

I rather like thinking of the days between the end of the Easter and the beginning of Advent as “the Sundays after Pentecost.” To me, that speaks of the presence of the Spirit of God at work in the world and through the followers of the risen Christ.

We meet the Spirit in Genesis, characterized as a ‘wind from God moving over the waters’ at creation. We see the Spirit at work in the lives of the Judges during the period of ancient Israel’s history known by that name as the Spirit raised up leaders, and then finally alights upon kings. The Psalms speak of the Spirit of God as a life-giving force for God’s creatures. And the book of Acts describes the disciples moving into the world, guided by the Spirit, bearing the gospel, and reaching beyond boundaries to draw in those persons long thought to be beyond God’s interest and love and grace.

It strikes me that the Spirit continues to work that way in the lives of Christ’s followers in our time – and in all ages, actually – moving us beyond our walls and neighborhoods and comfort zones into encounters with other persons who may have never heard that “God so loved the world.” More and more, one hears or reads how many people reject participating in a church because they think the church is judgmental or hypocritical. Whenever I run across that notion, I cringe a little, for two reasons. The first is that I think that is a mischaracterization of the church. The second is I am afraid some people have good reason to believe that because they have heard something other than the love of God proclaimed.

A couple of weeks ago our choir sang an anthem that may be familiar to you: “Gracious Spirit, Dwell With Me.” I have long enjoyed the song for its tune. That Sunday, I listened more carefully to the words. The words describe characteristics of the Spirit and then pray for those characteristics to be in the life of the believer: “Gracious Spirit dwell with me, I would gracious be.” “Truthful Spirit dwell with me, I would truthful be.” “Holy Spirit dwell with me, I would holy be.” Mighty Spirit dwell, with me, I would mighty be.”

Celebrating the presence of the Spirit in the life of the world, and more specifically in the church, affords us the opportunity to reflect upon how the Spirit may shape and mold us to be more faithful to our calling as those who have received good news in order that we might share it with others in this world that God so loved and loves – graciously, truthfully, in holiness, and with confidence.

 

Bob Madsen is the pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Andalusia and president of Greater Andalusia Ministerial Association.