Stepchild...

What comes after Easter? 50 days. 50 days, then Pentecost. Pentecost is the stepchild of the Christian year, at least for most of us. How excited do you get for Pentecost?

My Charismatic/Pentecostal friends sort of get into it, but honestly, they rather "celebrate" the Holy Spirit through the "sign gifts" all year long. Most of us "mainline" Christians try to get psyched up for it, but it really has little love going for it, culturally. I haven't seen a single Pentecost decoration at Walmart, or any Pentecost candy on the shelves anywhere. When's the last time you bought someone a Pentecost gift or sent a Pentecost card? See what I mean.

Theologically, it is an important event in the Christian faith. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, and on that day in Jerusalem, fifty days after the resurrection, he delivered. Flames, winds, people talking in languages they did not know, although to be fair, unlike the"prayer languages" modern Pentecostals get when someone lays hands on them, these languages reported in Acts chapter 2 were actual languages spoken by the variety of pilgrims having around Jerusalem at that time, and "each heard the Good News in her or his own tongue," as the scriptures say.

The Holy Spirit, Jesus said, would be a comforter, a helper, and would provide believers with the tools and juice to go out and do what they were supposed to go out and do--be witnesses to the Good News of Jesus Christ. She arrived with a wallop, kind of like March, but for much of the church, has become more of a lamb, like April. Most of the church does not practice the "sign gifts" of speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, and "prophecy," but generally, we don't know what to do with the Holy Spirit, hoping it is some kind of autopilot from God that guides us away from making too many goofs in Jesus' name. Occasionally, the Spirit pops an unusual moment of wisdom into the head of a Christian at an opportune time, and this is much celebrated when it happens.

Oh, I'm sure some of you are freaked at me calling the Holy Spirit a "she." Hear me out. First of all, orthodox Trinitarian doctrine reminds us that the Holy Spirit is a person of the godhead, and not a thing. Even I, a grassroots theologian with seven years of seminary learning occasionally slips and calls her an "it." Hold on to this thought for a moment. So, the Holy Spirit is a person. The Trinitarian formula is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible says that God is Spirit. Jesus was clearly male, as he sojourned among us, but if we're all made in the "image" of God, then why can we not view the Holy Spirit as a she? The Hebrew and Greek words for Spirit are both feminine nouns, by the way. I like the female view of the Holy Spirit--a quiet, strong power that transforms and blesses. At the risk of appearing sexist, this would be my description of the influential women in my life--quiet, strong, powerful, and transforming. I'm married to one who has absolutely transformed my life, and continues to do so, lovingly, gracefully, but not without the occasional tag-team match, which she always wins. Sometimes I just have to be wrestled to the mat.

Back to the erroneous "it-ness" of the Holy Spirit. I think we have trouble seeing the Spirit as a person because we have no images of her. The Bible only gives us flames, wind, and at Jesus' baptism, a bird, wafting down from heaven. None of those things are people. If we understand the Holy Spirit as the "femaleness" of God, we can come up with our own images--think of the woman who has had the most profound impact on your life, and fix that image in your head for the Holy Spirit.

Speaking of stepchildren, the Holy Spirit herself is often the stepchild of the Trinity, for the reasons listed above--no "image" that is "person-able," a poor understanding among the majority of Christians as to what her function is, and I would add, the strong paternalistic bent of the faith often leavers her in the lurch. Rarely do you hear a Christian pray beyond "Father God," or "Dear Jesus." When's the last time you heard a prayer that began, "Dear Mother Spirit"?

So, what all does the Holy Spirit do? The Bible tells us in Corinthians that the Spirit gives various gifts to God's people. These gifts are really tools for doing ministry for the up-building of the Body of Christ, and for sharing the Good News of the Christian Gospel. The Holy Spirit as comforter is when God's presence soothes and "hugs" us in times of trial or tragedy. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do what God calls us to do, both as laity and clergy. "Go(ing) into all the world and preaching the Gospel, baptizing in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" is beyond our human abilities without the "juice" of the Holy Spirit. Without relying on this empowerment of the Spirit, we are left naked and running away, like the Sons of Sceva in Acts 19.

Here's another image to ponder: medical science recently identified another organ in the body called the "Interstitium. It is the tissue in and around the other organs of our body that cushions them, keeps them "interconnected," and is the medium for important body fluids, feeding cells. "Interstitial" tissue has been understood for a long time, I guess, but the recent classification of it as an organ comes from research that shows it working collectively and "in concert" in the body. So, can we suggest that the Holy Spirit is the Interstitium of the Body of Christ? An interesting "functional" idea, however it breaks down again when trying to visualize the Holy Spirit as a person. Oh well...

So, with Pentecost up next, my challenge to you is to ponder the Holy Spirit as a person of the godhead, and a female one, at that! Then, try to imagine how the Holy Spirit works in your Christian experience, personally. Finally, look around and observe how you see the Spirit working in the church. That's all a pretty tall order for now, so have at it. May the Force be with you. NO, NO, NO, the "Force" is a thing, not a person, and it likes to fight a lot! It's great in the movies, but not in the church--the last thing we need is more fighting! How about we just say Shalom?