Pentecost (from a Greek word for “fiftieth”) is the Christian reinterpretation of the ancient Jewish pilgrimage festival, the Festival of Weeks, or Shavuot (pronounced “sha-voo-OAT” — rhymes with “coat”), celebrated 50 days after Passover. Pentecost is the fiftieth and last day of the Easter season. For Christians, Pentecost celebrates the reception of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church. Happy Birthday!
The birthday of the church finds us figuring out who we are as a parish. What do we stand for? Why do we do what we do? Where do we want to be in three years? As a parish this may be some of the most valuable work that we do together, so I encourage everyone – really everyone – to not feel held to what’s been done before. This is about the future, so think outside the box and dream!
Next week is Trinity Sunday, and then nearly six months of “Ordinary Time” begins, during which this year’s walk through the Gospel of Luke will continue. Our Christian year sometimes seems like we swing like a clock pendulum – six months of holidays followed by six months of “Ordinary.” The thing is that our “Ordinary” isn’t really that ordinary, is it?
In the last few weeks, we have sat through some horrible things happening in the world. There seem to be more atrocities now than ever before and we can become numb to protect ourselves from the horror and hopelessness. I mentioned in my sermon on Sunday that the way to get through the hopelessness and fear is to act – figure out what we CAN do – and then do it. The first step is turning to face the future. I hope everyone will join us this Sunday after the 10am service for a short service of renewal. The idea was born out of a three-part series that we did on coping with collective trauma after COVID. Even if you did not attend the groups, please attend the service. It will only last a few minutes, but it is so important to renew as a parish. After the service there will be a town hall meeting to talk through some ideas of what comes next for St. Patrick’s.
I will not be seeing you for a while, but I will be sending updates from the road – first from London, where I will be learning techniques for innovation and congregational vitality. Then from Minneapolis, where I will be assisting the Bishop’s staff in implementing some of these techniques. I have been given permission by the Vestry to continue my affiliation with St. Patrick’s and bring these techniques back to you along with my new assigned parish – St. John’s Georgetown – in September when I return for my final year at VTS. May God’s grace and peace be with you all this summer as you get some well-earned rest while thinking and doing things that little by little will change the World!
In closing this week, I would like to share a poem by E.E. Cummings. In these days so marked by tragedy and division and hate, Cummings calls us to remember this profound fork in the road, this choice in all we do, represented by these two stanzas: to participate in God’s creative, joyful work, or to participate in the ultimately destructive work of inaction. Go act St. Patrick’s! It is so important that we do!
Laura Natta, seminarian
when god decided to invent
everything he took one
breath bigger than a circus tent
and everything began
when man determined to destroy
himself he picked the was
of shall and finding only why
smashed it into because
+ E.E. Cummings
