Sunday and Monday the Danish churches, the Lutheran and the Catholics not the least, were celebrating what has been called “the birthday of the Church” going back to the day of Pentecost.  So my wife and I accepted the invitation for a big, ecumenical  open air rally yesterday at one of our beautiful, historical parks in our town.  Lutherans, Pentecostals, the Salvation Army, Catholics and others met up, and we all enjoyed a well prepared platform service.  The sketches were captivating and had good points, two beautiful church choirs sang well, and the brass band from the Salvation Army did an excellent job.  The whole atmosphere was kind, cheerful, and I found myself enjoying this specious arrangement, -  indeed, I felt relaxed and I could smile and laugh with the rest of the people.

There was much about The Holy Spirit.  It was even said in Latin, “Spiritus Sanctus”, and good object lessons were used to illustrate God´ s Spirit as that “mighty wind” we read about in Acts 2. But suddenly it struck me, Where is Christ?  There was much talk about the Spirit, but where was the gospel of Christ?  Was He named at all? Isn´t He the One the Spirit points to?  I felt like crying out loud with Mary Magdalene, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him!” (Joh. 20:13).  I felt a pang of grief in my heart.  I was impressed with the platform all right and yet where was the anointed message of Christ?  Why wasn´t He lifted up? 

Should we rather have stayed home?  No, right beside us on the lawn we got acquainted with a young mother, Lisbeth, and her two sweet girls, Anna (4) and Freia (11) sitting there on a blanket.  There was also a son (16), but he wanted to stay home.  I soon realized why we should be there at that rally and with those people. In continuation of the ecumenical service, we had picnic and soon got the young mother´s story.  Her first husband, the father of two of the children, committed suicide.  He was a schizophrenic,  so you may say he died from his sickness.  She then got a new husband with whom she got Anna, but he also got mentally ill to a degree that their marriage couldn´t go on.  So now she´s single and on the sick list after surgery in her left shoulder. 

At this picnic  yesterday and during those quiet moments of conversation it was wonderfully possible to share Christ with her and how relevant He is in all kinds of situations.  Her response was so beautiful, and the big rally suddenly turned to a personal, Christ centered contact.  Her situation reminded me of similar situations I´ve met before, and little Anna was a charmer with whom we had a very good time.

Guess what we talked about as we went home?  The impressive rally?  That too, of course, but that little family was really what touched our hearts.  So I said to my wife, “If you can think of something we can do for them, I´m more than open.”  And if I know my wife right, she will.  What is Pentecost all about?  To go charismatic?  No, to lift up Christ and share Him with others, for there´s enough of Him!  He is rich enough.  And He is meant to be conveyed to our  surroundings.  His ministry was very much in the open, on the lawns, on the hill sides of the land, yes to his surroundings of turmoil.  This is the true nature of the gospel and of Pentecost, isn´t it?

June 13, 2011

-jn