Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 104; Acts 2:1-21; John 20:19-23; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
Today is an extra special combination of events for many of us. That’s because today marks both Mother’s Day and Pentecost. It would be easy for many to see these two events as entirely separate occurrences, and chose the observance of one over another. Today’s sacred reading from 1 Corinthians, however, provides us with an opportunity to link those two events. In 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul writes: “Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits” (The Message). For many of us, our mothers (or mothering figures female or male) were the primary individuals who show us who God is through their acts of love, nurture, and support. It was through their hugs, for instance, that we got some of our first glimpses into God’s unconditional love. It was through their willingness to forgive that we began to wrap our minds around the concept of mercy, and it was through their words of encouragement that we understood what it meant to have inherent worth as a child of God. On a day when we also celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit, we should stop and remember that it is not just women with biological children who were empowered by the Holy Spirit to make God known: as today’s passage from Acts reminds us, it was ALL of us who were empowered to make God known. My question for you today is this: what are you doing to show others who God is? What acts of grace and mercy are you participating in that touch and benefit everyone? Your answers to those two questions will provide the best gift that you could ever purchase for your mother. They will also provide the best tribute imaginable for God on a day when we remember just what can happen when you lead lives infused with the Spirit. Til next time…
Today is an extra special combination of events for many of us. That’s because today marks both Mother’s Day and Pentecost. It would be easy for many to see these two events as entirely separate occurrences, and chose the observance of one over another. Today’s sacred reading from 1 Corinthians, however, provides us with an opportunity to link those two events. In 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul writes: “Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits” (The Message). For many of us, our mothers (or mothering figures female or male) were the primary individuals who show us who God is through their acts of love, nurture, and support. It was through their hugs, for instance, that we got some of our first glimpses into God’s unconditional love. It was through their willingness to forgive that we began to wrap our minds around the concept of mercy, and it was through their words of encouragement that we understood what it meant to have inherent worth as a child of God. On a day when we also celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit, we should stop and remember that it is not just women with biological children who were empowered by the Holy Spirit to make God known: as today’s passage from Acts reminds us, it was ALL of us who were empowered to make God known. My question for you today is this: what are you doing to show others who God is? What acts of grace and mercy are you participating in that touch and benefit everyone? Your answers to those two questions will provide the best gift that you could ever purchase for your mother. They will also provide the best tribute imaginable for God on a day when we remember just what can happen when you lead lives infused with the Spirit. Til next time…
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