Pastor Hugh's Monthly Meditation
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PENTECOST: STILL FULL OF SURPRISES
I don’t know why it is, but each time I read a passage from scripture—or better, meditate on it—I see something that I hadn’t before. I suppose this is why we refer to the Word of God as living, it is constantly nudging and poking at us in order for our faith to stay fresh and alive. And so it is with my most recent reading of the first lesson for Pentecost Sunday. It’s from Acts, chapter 2, which begins with the words, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.” (Acts 2:1) What I had never really asked before, perhaps because I always assumed the answer, was, “Who are ‘they’?” And with a little investigative work—reading chapter one first—you find out that “they” refer not only to Jesus’ eleven Apostles (without Judas, of course), but that these eleven were “together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.” (Acts 1:14, emphasis added.)
Click on image to see a larger view of Jean Restout’s “Pentecost”, in a separate window.
What struck me as new was the fact that when the Holy Spirit came upon these gathered disciples, there were women there, too. Why is this new? Well, unlike today, most of ancient Middle Eastern society (and not-so ancient, as well) women were considered less than second class citizens. A woman who did not have a husband or father or son was particularly vulnerable to becoming exploited and marginalized. She had no legal standing in her society and therefore was, along with orphan, the unique focus of the Old Testament prophetic concern that warned ancient Israel “to seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow,” as a way of fulfilling Torah (God’s law). (Isaiah 1:17)
I bring this up because, in the same way that women were the first to be visited by the resurrected Christ, on the day of Pentecost, there were women among the first recipients of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring.
And how typical of Jesus that was. Never one to be constrained by cultural norms, wherever Jesus walked, every action he took, every word he spoke, seemed to poke a finger in the eye of the powers and principalities that would uphold any status quo that rested on the exploitation of others. With his insistent talk about the Kingdom of God, he called his followers to maintain an allegiance to God, and to adhere to a set of principles, that implicitly overturned the very order of this world—winners becoming losers, losers becoming winners . . . and women becoming equal participants with men in it all.
With Pentecost, Joel’s prophetic vision comes true: “Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.” (Joel 2:29) And with this vision true, we who are recipients of this same Spirit, received as it was in our baptism, are recipients, too, of a call or special “mission.” In the power and under the call of this Spirit we are to fill the world with surprises: we bring hope where the world expects despair; we extend love where the world knows only hate; we forgive the enemy and make the “foreigner” our kin; and we shine a light that overcomes even the most tenacious darkness. And we do all this—or, I should say, we are called to do all this—while surrounded by the faith-derived knowledge that we don’t do this alone. Where the Spirit is, God is. And where God is, even the impossible can become real.
May surprises continue to abound.
Hugh R. B. Haffenreffer
Pastor
May 2007
ABOUT THIS MONTH’S ARTWORK
Jean Restout (the younger) (1692-1768) was a French Neoclassical painter, born in Rouen, France to a family of painters.
Under the tutelage of his famous uncle and leading religious painter of Paris, Jean Jouvenet, Restout became the most famous painter of his family. At the age of 25 he was elected as a member of the Royal Academy, where he would fill many posts with great distinction, including becoming a professor of drawing.
Restout was best known for his large-scale religious scenes, including his famous “La Pentecôte,” or “Pentecost.” This enormous work, (over 15 feet tall and 25 feet wide), was originally painted for the refectory of the Abbey of Saint-Denis. Here the Apostles, positioned around Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the “other women,” are receiving from the Holy Spirit (not visible here) shooting sparks, or flames, that give them the gift of tongues and empowers them to go forth to evangelize the world.
What stands out clearly in this painting is the figure of Mary. While all the others present seem to be fleeing before this fiery outpouring, Mary stands tall and unafraid. One of the other women (to our right) seems to recognize Mary’s unique status and is bowing before her. As the mother of God’s son, Mary’s life has been one of absolute faith and submission. In this depicted moment, her complete trust and confidence before God stands in sharp contrast to the fear and timidity of the cowering disciples.
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