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Theology - Pneumatology: Exhortation, Pentecost

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Pentecost is culturally invisible. There are no Whitsunday sales at the department stores, no gift-exchanges around lighted trees, no jolly elf, no crèches, no heart-warming Hollywood holiday films with Jimmy Stewart, no Bing Crosby crooning about rushing mighty winds. There are no eggs or bunnies either, no jelly beans or chocolate.

Unfortunately, many churches follow suit, ignoring the Spirit. We dress our kids up as shepherds, as Mary and Joseph, for the annual Christmas pageant. We put them in armor to be Roman soldiers at the open tomb. But I’ve never seen a kid with a flaming head and speaking in tongues in a Sunday School play. Mother’s Day is more likely to be acknowledged in many American churches than Pentecost.

Historically, the church has shown deeper biblical wisdom. The church year begins with the advent of the Son, and it climaxes with the Advent of the Spirit. The church has known that without Pentecost, Advent and Christmas and Good Friday and Easter don’t mean much.

In Jesus are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, but if the Spirit has not come, what good is all that heavenly treasure to us earth-bound folk? If the Spirit has not come, all that Jesus is and has remains stored away in heaven, and who can climb up to heaven to bring it down?

If the Spirit has not come, then we have a distant heavenly savior who left us orphans. If the Spirit has not come – to paraphrase Paul – then are we without hope, and are of all men the most miserable.

This is not a gift to be despised. Pentecost is as critical to our redemption as the incarnation, as the atonement, as the resurrection. For, as we confess in the Nicene Creed, the Spirit with the Father and Son is worshiped and glorified.

posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 4:48 am

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