How are you planning to celebrate Pentecost his year? I mentioned yesterday that one of my concerns about this celebration is that often everything happens inside the church. As the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples, the barriers of language and culture were broken down – not so that everyone thought and looked the same, but so that everyone understood each other in their own language and culture. In God’s new kingdom culture, we don’t become an amorphous lump of homogeneity, but learn to appreciate and respect our differences.

My own understanding of this has been greatly enriched as I have listened to sisters and brothers from other cultures.  I was particularly impacted by theologian Tite Tienou from Burkina Faso whom I heard speak several years ago. “All of us are on a journey wanting to understand who our brothers and sisters from other parts of the world are,”  he said. He then reminded us that we are all part of the same family – God’s family –  and like any family we are called to share life together as sisters and brothers. Learning to share life with people from all over the world means listening to their viewpoints, hearing their struggles and sharing their joys. And learning to share life in this way means walking together on a journey towards a deeper understanding of God’s truth and a stronger commitment to God’s kingdom ways.

Once again I have found it challenging to find out of the box creative ideas, but here are a few I have come across that might stir your imagination:

Tongues of Fire Chili Cookoff.

Faith Episcopal Church used to celebrate, after the liturgy with an annual “tongues of fire” chili cookoff. It turned into a community-wide event, with prizes based on spice level and the like. Recipes were posted on the church website. While it was not part of the liturgy itself, it was a creative way to use symbols in the life of the community–and it can’t help but transform a simple meal into a teachable moment. Unfortunately, COVID put an end to the celebration. Hopefully one day it will be celebrated again.

The Biggest Birthday Party Yet

Start the evening with a time of storytelling. Get each person to share a story about how their faith has grown through the experiences and witness of people from other cultures. Then talk about the different cultures represented in your gathering. Get each person to share which aspects of their culture they believe bear the fingerprints of God and reflect God’s kingdom culture.

Pentecost Kites

I love the idea of Pentecost kites that the Diocese of Westminster, north of London created. Pentecost Kites is a fun activity that involves first making, then decorating and finally flying kites and using the kites as a metaphor for the spirit at Pentecost. I have not tried it yet, but it looks like a lot of fun.

What are your creative ideas?

–Photo from Ministry Matters—