The Spirit of Pentecost and the Practice of Paying Attention

Today is Pentecost, the day on the church calendar when we remember and celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the guide and advocate that Jesus promised would be with the disciples after his ascension. Perhaps you’ve also heard Pentecost called the “birthday of the Church” because the coming of the Holy Spirit equips Jesus’ followers to share widely the story of Jesus, growing the movement of disciples that becomes the early Christian church.

Pentecost is a story that, whenever I read or hear it, fills my mind with awe and wonder. I feel the rushing wind, can picture the flames of the Spirit, and hear the many languages that the disciples speak. I always wonder what the disciples felt when they experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit; did they feel scared or confused, or courageous and comforted? Maybe they felt a mix of it all. But, regardless of how they felt in that moment, the coming of the Holy Spirit empowers them to go out into the world to continue their call to preach and teach and build up communities of fellowship, prayer, and sharing.

Every year, I feel like Pentecost “sneaks up” on me. Because the date shifts every year, it either surprises me (when it’s early) or I forget it’s coming (when it’s later). It doesn’t help that late May and early June, when we celebrate Pentecost, are always so busy. In my ministry, I’m simultaneously wrapping up a program year and making final preparations for our summer programs. Outside of church, there are graduations and parties, end-of-school-year activities and ceremonies, the height of spring and early summer sports, along with whatever else comes along. Then summer starts with months full of camps and trips and vacations, and all the outdoor activities my soul has craved through the winter. My schedule becomes full, life gets busy, and it’s harder to stop and breathe and take in the beauty of the season. Maybe you feel like that, too?

In this moment, in this coming summer, and particularly this Pentecost, I am encouraging myself to stop for a moment each day and ground myself in the presence of the Holy Spirit. And, although it would be something to experience the presence of God through the wind and the flames of Pentecost, as I engage in this practice, I’m constantly reminded that the presence of the Holy Spirit comes through the quiet and the stillness and the small moments, too.

A few months ago, I heard author and podcaster Emily P. Freeman talk about what she calls the “spiritual practice of looking up and down” (you can hear her talk about the practice on this episode of her podcast The Next Right Thing: https://emilypfreeman.com/podcast/359/) The practice invites me to stop and take a photo of the ground below me and the sky above me as I ground myself in that particular moment.

Though I try to take these photos every day, I’ll admit that I am leaning heavily into the concept that this is a practice, not something to be perfected. Some days I forget to stop and take pictures, and some days I rush to take a photo on the sidewalk outside my house simply to build the habit. However, most days the practice invites me to take a moment of pause that highlights a memory I want to keep, or something for which I am grateful, or a time when I feel the presence of God. This practice helps me ground myself in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

As the seasons shift from spring to summer, and as we shift from Pentecost into Ordinary Time, I wonder: how might you ground yourself in the presence of the Holy Spirit? How can you help others in your family or ministry or community ground themselves in that presence as well? Maybe you will try the photo a day practice. Or maybe you can share things grateful for each day before a meal or at bedtime. Or maybe you take a walk or do a breath prayer or practice Sabbath. We can pay attention to the Spirit in the large, grand moments of the summer, but we can also pay attention in the small ones, too.

Just as the Holy Spirit goes out with the disciples, so too are we sent with the Spirit. This summer (and always), may we be people who pay attention for the Holy Spirit in the world around us, and may we help others pay attention, too.