5/23: Ending Eastertide, Celebrating Pentecost

Pentecost marks the end of Eastertide. Throughout the season of Eastertide, we have contemplated how the small, ordinary things can point us to God. Pentecost is a holy day in the Church Year, but it is also a season. This season is actually referred to as Ordinary Time, but more on that in a later post. 

Pentecost, in essence, is when Christians remember the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Early Christians. It has been viewed as the "birthday of the church" and feast day. Fun fact, Pentecost was originally a Jewish feast. In the Old Testament, it is translated as the feast of weeks or the feast of harvest, but in Greek, it was called Pentecost. For more on the Jewish history of this Christian holy day, you can check out this site here, this site here, and this other site here. The reason so many people from so many places were in Jerusalem was for this Jewish feast. It was one of the three holy days that required Jews to travel to Jerusalem. 

Celebrating Pentecost at Home: This site here and this one here each have 5 ways Pentecost can be celebrated at home. Our celebration doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate to be meaningful. This site here has more ideas for celebrating at home. They encourage utilizing the wind in our celebrations. This site here has more of a prayer service/liturgy for Pentecost that can be done at home. 

Celebrating Pentecost at Church: This site here covers the biblical basis for Pentecost and has a lot of ideas (including many craft ideas) on how Pentecost can be celebrated at church. (I loved their idea on reading part of Acts 2 in many different languages). This site here has some ideas for celebrating Pentecost as a Church. Since Pentecost is viewed as the Church's birthday, they recommend serving cake. 

Suggested Activities: 

Plan: Look through the sites referenced above for ideas that would work for your family and church. 

Read: Acts 2 is the story of Pentecost, so it can be read and discussed. 

Decorate: Red is the color of Pentecost, so try to wear red clothes, set out red decorations, and eat red foods. 

Feast: This is a feast day, so be sure to include special foods in your Sunday meals. Bonus points for including naturally red foods. 

Contemplate: Reflect on the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit as we remember the Spirit coming to guide us. 

Consecrating on Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is a Holy Week holiday. As we lead up to Resurrection Sunday (aka Easter), we have 3 significant holy days to observe: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Each of these holy days will have a verb attached to it in these posts. For Maundy Thursday, our verb is "consecrating". When we consecrate something, we set it aside or apart as holy or sacred. It is devoted or dedicated to a specific purpose, such as set apart for God's use. We are setting aside these three days leading up to Resurrection Sunday as holy and sacred. Instead of doing what we want on these days, we are giving them up to God for worshiping Him as a bit of the sacred time overcomes our secular workweek. 

Each of the Gospels has plenty of text devoted to this night. We can read Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 13 for their accounts of that night's events. (Technically we should be reading John 13-18:27 for all of Jesus' prayers, plus the betrayals, trials, and denials that the other passages include)

For those curious, "Maundy" comes from a variation of the Latin word for "commandment" since Jesus gave His disciples "a new command" to love each other. Historically, this was a day to for those estranged from the Church or wanting to join the Church to prepare to be reconciled and admitted. You can read more of the history here and here and here

Throughout history, this day has involved foot-washing, almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. When we wash feet, we consecrate our time by serving others instead of ourselves, as well as humble ourselves. When we give money or food to those in need, we are consecrating a part of our income. When we pray, we consecrate our schedules and goals, as we subjugate them to the Spirit's timing. When we fast, we are consecrating our bodies as we pause from food to better listen for the Spirit's guidance. 

In the Orthodox Church, some Christians will fast from food from supper on Maundy Thursday until either the pre-Easter service on Saturday night or the morning service on Sunday, with the exception of a little fruit on Saturday. By abstaining from food for 40+ hours, we are consecrating this period of waiting. Resurrection Sunday becomes something that we are longing for, anticipating, and eagerly awaiting, as we grow increasingly hungry. As our stomachs growl, we are reminded throughout the day of what we are waiting for. (Obviously don't fast in this way if you have health problems that would flare up by not eating)

Some people hold special services or meals such as a Tenebrae service (where the lights in the sanctuary are gradually extinguished as the service goes on) or a Passover Seder where Christians partake in that traditional meal Jesus & His disciples were eating that night. Other Christians have a communion service on this day. Some churches set up the "stations of the cross" for people to pray through. You can read more detailed descriptions of ways people observe this holy day here and here. By observing an unfamiliar tradition, we are consecrating our preferences and desires as we meet God in a new way. 

Alternatively, we can look for online (either video or text) resources for a Tenebrae service or the stations of the cross to experience Maundy Thursday in a new light as we are guided through those Scripture readings.

Tenebrae service ideas here and here 

Station of the Cross ideas here and here and here and here and here

How will you observe Maundy Thursday this year?

St. John in Exile Song

 There is a movie out there called St. John in Exile. It tells the story of John, an apostle of Jesus, and his memories of Jesus. You can check it out on Amazon.com if you desire. Anyway, in the movie, there is a song, which I utterly love.

"Lord God Almighty

Thou art holy

Maker of the sea and land,

The universe and skies.

Lord God Almighty

Thou art Holy

Dwell within my heart and mind,

My fingers and my eyes.

Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei,

Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei,

Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei,

Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei,

Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei,

Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei, Lei"

  Jones, Dean, perf. St. John in Exile. Dir. Dan Curtis. Bridgestone, 1996. Film. 21 May 2013.

I love this song because it focuses so much on God's nature (Almighty, Holy, Maker) and what He has done (made the sea, land, universe, skies). Only then does a request come (dwell within all of me, Lord). So often my prayers jump straight to the point. "Lord, I need..... and I want.....Please change....Help me...." I don't take the time to focus on the majesty and awesomeness of my Lord.

What is your favorite song worshiping God?

Reading Through Messianic Liturgical Eyes

I was told that the Jewish history of Christianity can be interesting, informative, and beneficial for believers. So I started doing some research into Jewish (and Messianic Jewish) liturgy to see what their ways of Bible Study were.

Weekly Readings Each week, something from the Torah (first 5 books), Haftorah (rest of the Old Testament), and Brit Chadashah (New Testament) is read. The benefit of following the weekly readings is (when you go to a Messianic Jewish service), most people there will have done the reading and the sermon will be on the reading as well. Sometimes, I gravitate to my favorite passages and ignore some of the harder passages, but this method of reading helps to correct that human tendency.

Psalm Readings For the Psalms, you have two choices, you can cycle through them in a week (20-30 Psalms per day) OR you can cycle through them in a month (4-9 Psalms per day). There is beauty in the Psalms and a great many emotions that we can relate to.

You may be asking yourself, "Why is this important, Liz? Why should I learn about the Jewishness of Christianity?"
 It's important to study this for several reasons.
1) Jesus was a first-century Jewish rabbi, following Jewish customs.
2) The Old Testament was originally in Hebrew/Aramaic. When things are translated, messages sometimes change.
3) We are grafted into the Jewish tree. God didn't just burn down that tree and plant Christians in its place. We are in-grafted and can just as easily be cut out.
4) The Bible is seeped in Jewish culture, traditions, history, and idioms.
5) Jesus didn't say "you don't have to follow the law and traditions" but rather, He said "here's a summary of the law that's easier to remember and apply." (see the Sermon on the Mount-Matthew 5-7).

There may be benefits to studying the Bible through Messianic liturgy and weekly readings. Are you willing to try it?

A Spanglish, Messianic Liturgy

The thought struck me recently that I am really an odd mix of denominations and traditions.

My mom's Methodist.
My dad's American Baptist.
My sister's Southern Baptist.
My hubby and I are Nazarene.

My sister and I attended the Baptist Collegiate Ministry.

My hubby (a Nazarene) went to a Wesleyan University and met me at a Baptist campus ministry.

My roomie and I semi-regularly attended a local Messianic Jewish congregation.

Although I attend a "low church," I secretly (or not so secretly) love liturgy and many high church traditions (once I understand *why* the traditions exist).

My hubby and I will be doing mission work in South America. We're learning Spanish and sometimes sing in our Spanglish.

So I research Spanish; I research the church year; I research the Jewish traditions and history that are prominent in the New Testament.

And it's wonderful, this blending of traditions in my multi-denominational faith. For every church I have been to has worshiped the Father.

Is your faith a mix of different traditions? What type of traditions are present in your faith?