Sunday, June 18: Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7

In Sunday’s reading (June 18, 2023), the Lord visits Abraham in the form of three men.  

Abraham prevails upon them to stay awhile, rest, and have a meal, and then runs to Sarah to give instructions for a grand meal. He slaughters and prepares his best animals for his guests.  .

The three sit in the shade under the Oaks of Mamre and wait, until at last Abraham brings them the food and stands by them as they eat.  

After the meal, they ask about Sarah, who listens from a tent nearby. They promise to return and that Sarah will bear a son, which is just too fantastical: she laughs right out loud—they are too old for that kind of relationship.  

To which they respond, “Is there anything too wonderful for the Lord?”

The lectionary for Sunday skips over three challenging chapters of Genesis to the birth of Isaac, the fulfillment of the promise.  

Dear Pastor Craig,

Why do we wear red on Pentecost Sunday? 
And, why is Confirmation on Pentecost Sunday. 
And…well…what is Pentecost?

Dear Friend,

I am so glad you asked these questions :-).

Let’s start with the last one.

The story of Pentecost is told in The Acts of the Apostles.  This book is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke by the same writer, telling the story of how the Christian church arose through the faithful actions of the apostles after the resurrection.
Pentecost was the beginning of these actions. 

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 
Acts 2:1-4

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would be given to them, that he would not leave them (And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. John 14:16). 

Pentecost is the moment the Holy Spirit–the Advocate–is given as promised, marking the birth of the Christian church.  Without the Holy Spirit, faith would be only about following the words and deeds of Jesus during his life. Pentecost means that the Holy Spirit is given to lead us in the present in ways that are true to the words and deeds of Jesus in his life.

The Acts of the Apostles is the story of how on Pentecost they find their way forward, how the Holy Spirit begins to lead them.

Which brings us to your first question.  Why red? 

That is pretty obvious: God is a Badger fan 🙂 

We wear red to remember and to celebrate the fire and wind of the Holy Spirit, igniting the faith of the people who wait and pray, setting them ablaze, burning away the divisions of language and culture that separate them.  

There is a lot more to be said about the need of a good church fire now and again, spiritually speaking of course. We wear red and celebrate Pentecost to remember the fiery energy of the Holy Spirit is given to us by God to help us prayerfully discern what divisions and separations need to be burned away in our lives today.

That is a lot to take in, I know, which helps us get to your middle question.

We celebrate Confirmation on Pentecost Sunday because the church is born again when our confirmands affirm their baptism and become members of our congregation.  It is a moment of action and power uniting us together as one.  

Of course, there is a lot more to it. Truth is: we learn the meaning of Pentecost as we go, each of us confirming our baptisms by following the unpredictable, uncontrollable, fiery Holy Spirit wherever we are led.

I hope you will be led to join us this year on Pentecost Sunday, May 28th, wearing red to support our confirmands and to join Christians around the world in celebrating the birth of the Christian church.

In the Spirit,
Pr. Craig

Dear Congregation,

With many of you, I have been puzzling through the effects of the past three years.  What has emerged from my reading has resonated with my own experience and with conversations we have been having? 

It was traumatic.

The most helpful book I’ve found for understanding the effects of trauma is Bessel A. Vander Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score (New York: Penguin Random House, 2015). Vander Kolk says, 

Being traumatized means continuing to organize your life as if the trauma were still ongoing–unchanged and immutable–as every new encounter or event is contaminated by the past. 53

Vander Kolk describes the science of how trauma alters brain functioning in ways that register in the body–the body keeps score:

After trauma, the world is experienced with a different nervous system.  The survivor’s energy now becomes focused on the inner chaos, at the expense of spontaneous involvement in their life.  53

In Chapter 13, “Healing from Trauma: Owning Yourself,” Vander Kolk says:

Trauma robs you of the feeling you are in charge of yourself….  The challenge of recovery is to reestablish ownership of your body and mind–of yourself.  This means feeling free to know what you know and feel what you feel without being overwhelmed, enraged, ashamed, or collapsed.  For most people this involves (1) finding a way to become calm and focused, (2) learning to maintain that calm in response to images, thoughts, sounds or physical sensations that remind you of the past, (3) finding ways to be fully alive in the present and engage with people around you, (4) not having to keep secrets from yourself, including secrets about ways you have managed
to survive. 205-06

A recent article written by Rev. Libby Howe for the Wisconsin Council of Churches focuses on another piece of the puzzle.  How does the body of Christ respond to trauma? This article is important for us to consider as a church body made up of people like you and me.

We find healing as a body of believers when we work through our own, individual traumas. The hard part is that healing is not easy; faith offers no magic solution. Our faith holds together for the work we are called to do, assuring us we are safe even when fear courses through our bodies, especially even then.  

Peace, 
Pr. Craig