Pentecost

A violent, rushing wind. Fiery tongues. Foreign languages. The spectacle of apparent drunkenness. Peter's successful debut. These are the accouterments of Pentecost that leave most of us out of this story.

At the mainstream Roman Catholic mass I attended this past Pentecost Sunday, two prayers for loving acceptance of "homosexual" Catholics were incorporated into the Prayers of the Faithful.

What happened at Pentecost runs much deeper than peaking in a charismatic "tongues-of-fire" prayer language. It was a divine moment of reconciliation among people.

Christians will look back in time on Pentecost. But they'll also need to be looking at the present, dreaming with their eyes open and daring to consider where God may be found today.

This past Sunday, churches in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran traditions marked the holy day of Christ the King. Appropriately enough, it marks the end of the long Pentecost season.

For those who believe in God, and specifically for those who believe in revelation, this is a good time of year to ask what God sounds like. Shavuot (Pentecost) begins Tuesday night, May 18th.

Glenn Beck says Christians should leave their social justice churches, so I say Christians should leave Beck. Beck attacks the very heart of our Christian faith, and Christians should no longer watch his show.