May 28, 2023 Lectionary Texts — Year A
Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30 • Psalm 104:24-34, 35b • 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 or Acts 2:1-21 • John 20:19-23 or John 7:37-39

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Image description: Set on a fluorescent red and brown abstract background rises the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral. A flash of orange appears around the spire.

When the holy day of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover, they were gathered together in one place. Picture yourself among the disciples: A sound roars from the sky without warning, the roar of a violent wind, and the whole house where you are gathered reverberates with the sound. Then a flame appears, dividing into smaller flames and spreading from one person to the next. All the people present are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in languages they’ve never spoken, as the Spirit empowers them. — Acts 2:1-4

A young man ran to Moses…
Young Man: Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp! Joshua (Nun’s son and Moses’ assistant from the time he was little), also was alarmed.
Joshua: Moses, my lord, stop them!
Moses: Are you so agitated on my account? If only all of the Eternal’s people were prophets, that He would lay His Spirit on them. — Numbers 11:27-29

May the glorious presence of the Eternal linger among us forever. And may He rejoice in the greatness of His own works— He, who rattles the earth with a glance; He, who sets mountains to smoking with a touch. I will sing to the Eternal all of my life; I will call my God good as long as I live. May the thoughts of my mind be pleasing to Him, for the Eternal has become my happiness. …As for the Eternal, call Him good, my soul. Praise the Eternal! — Psalm 104:31-35b

Each believer has received a gift that manifests the Spirit’s power and presence. That gift is given for the good of the whole community. The Spirit gives one person a word of wisdom, but to the next person the same Spirit gives a word of knowledge. Another will receive the gift of faith by the same Spirit, and still another gifts of healing — all from the one Spirit. One person is enabled by the Spirit to perform miracles, another to prophesy, while another is enabled to distinguish those prophetic spirits. The next one speaks in various kinds of unknown languages, while another is able to interpret those languages. One Spirit works all these things in each of them individually as He sees fit. — 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

I’ve chosen this painting for its symbolic potential as we celebrate Pentecost today. It is the piece I created upon hearing the news of the fire that ravaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France in 2019. How then does it serve as a visual for the celebration of the arrival of the Holy Spirit? It’s coloration is the first connection — fire is the noted visual presence of the Holy Spirit coming upon those gathered together in the upper room. We must also consider the meaning and symbolism of this architectural component which distinctly adorns a Christian house of worship — the spire. Spires have been said to remind and point the viewer upward to heaven, the place we are to fix our thoughts on. The work, the coordination that building a cathedral required parallels the building of the kingdom. A cathedral project required the gifts of many individuals sometimes across several generations as does the work we are called to in the Spirit.

I am dedicating this post especially to my father who passed suddenly this week. He inspired my life and my faith. He encouraged/supported my own spiritual growth in countless ways including being an loyal weekly reader of these posts.

Practicing Visio Divina:

1. View the artwork
   What do you see?
   Note shapes – color – style – movement
   What stands out for you?
   What are you curious about?
   What questions do you have?
   Hold back any feelings – judgments – opinions
2. Read the accompanying scripture and look over the artwork again
   What connections do you make?
   Between the image and text?
   What is coming to mind from your own experience?
   What feelings are rising in you?
   Are you uncomfortable with something?
   There are no right or wrong answers
3. Read the scripture again and explore the artwork a third time
   What do you hear?
   What is God saying to you?
   What do you wish to speak to God?