Pentecost

Dear Friends in Christ,

Of all the callings in my life that bring me joy, being a parent is high on the list. I love being a dad. However, I need to be honest about certain parts of parenthood that I just find excruciating. I’m not talking about things you might expect—the late nights with little or no sleep, the constant influx of new and interesting germs, or the messes. I don’t love those things, but I expected them to be part of the deal.

I’m talking about birthday parties. Specifically, the ones we throw for our kids. I’m terrible at planning them, I’m not a great gift giver, and they leave me feeling like I’ve been run over by something heavy. So, in a stroke of genius this year, we convinced Mary Karis to forgo a birthday party and go instead to that enchanted land we call Gatlinburg. Gatlinburg is fascinating. And we had a ball. We ice-skated, shopped, ate unhealthy food, enjoyed time together, and watched lots of movies. It felt so much better than any party we’ve ever thrown for her.

I think it’s because it wasn’t just marking another anniversary of her birth, an observation that something special happened one day in 2013. Instead, it was a celebration of who she is, who she’s becoming. In the things we did—the fun together, the movies, the food—it was like capturing her little personality in a long weekend trip. I loved that. It seems like that’s what birthdays should be about—not just marking another year but celebrating the whole life of the person.

On June 9 we will mark another birthday: the birthday of Christ’s church. We celebrate the Feast of Pentecost as the true beginning of the church. Now Pentecost moves around the calendar, so it’s obviously not trying to mark the anniversary of the event. Instead it’s a celebration of the ongoing life of the church, the living reality of who we are and who we’re becoming.

The Spirit descends and gives gifts to the people. We believe the Spirit is still at work, still giving various gifts to the holy people of God. The disciples proclaim the gospel in ways that are a bit startling. We are still called to let the proclamation of the Good News of Christ surprise and startle us. The disciples are assured that the Spirit—the ongoing presence of the Risen Christ—abides with them forever. And we proclaim that the same Spirit abides with us down to the present day, the present moment.

So come and celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the church, together on June 9. There will be cake! But come prepared to celebrate not just the anniversary of a wondrous event, come to celebrate the living reality, the ongoing life of the Holy Spirit among us.

God bless,

Fr. Quinn Parman+

[Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash]