Have you ever mixed up the dates of another person's birthday? Sent the card either long before, or long after the date at which it was to be celebrated? Last year I received email in June from a number of people congratulating me on my 40th birthday - some three months late. It turns out that they received notification of the celebrations, posted in March, only that day, and were sending electronic congratulations. The interesting aspect of this is that the notification was sent to them, by email, in March. Must use the same postal system as ordinary mail!!
It is nice to be remembered, even if people do occasionally get the date wrong. In that sense, the celebration of life need not be limited to the particular day on which we were born. What is important is being remembered.
A number
of people have observed that we celebrated Pentecost a week earlier than
other churches. Rather than claim that we were right and everyone else
was wrong, I am happy to admit the mistake. The truth of what we celebrated
is not diminished by an error of calculation. In seeking to be the church
today, we need to celebrate what it is that makes us the church, and how
those principles apply as we seek to seek its continual rebirth in this
local community.
Pentecost,
like every other festival of the church, is not something that is to be
confined to one day of the year: the coming of God's Spirit into our lives
is not confined by times or seasons, but an expectation we can hold for
every moment. Similarly, Easter is not the only time of year to anticipate
the power of resurrection, or experience the grace of forgiveness: it has
been opened to us in every time and place. Christmas is not the be-all
and end-all of the coming of Jesus to us: he comes in every moment, and
we are invited to anticipate the ultimate return at the consummation of
time.
In one sense, a mistake was made. In another sense, a deeper truth is to be celebrated: that God is not limited by our times and seasons, but acts and wills according to His purposes and timetable.
In my experience, God often interrupts our schedules and plans with beautiful moments far greater than anything we could have orchestrated. Are you watching for one (or more) today?
Gary
June 18, 2000
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