Pentecost: God Dances Like a Flame

 Today is Pentecost! It's the day Christians celebrate God's gracious gift of the Holy Spirit. Here's how I tell the story when I'm working with folks in an intergenerational setting. It's part of a series I'm making called PlayFull Faith that describes how "God dances and invites us to join the dance." 

I hope you enjoy the video and I pray you let the light of God shine brightly in your heart. 

Pentecost: God Dances Like a Flame Within

Today, I remember the significance of the promise Jesus made to his disciples shortly after his resurrection. It was a promise that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit, the Church is sent to serve as Jesus served, to be a sign of hope, to reflect here and now the joy and love of the kingdom of God that shall never fade. In Acts 2, we read a record of how this new work in and through the Church was inaugurated during the Feast of Pentecost--and that good work is still continuing today. In this short video, I share the story of Acts 1 and 2 by using materials I've created to help both young and old receive the kingdom of God like little children. I hope you enjoy it.

You can also click this link to view the video onYouTube.

If you are interested in obtaining these materials for use in your church or home setting, email me at troy@playfull.org for more details.

Play is so much more than just a form of superficial escapism. It expresses something fundamental about what it means to be human and it shapes us, both individually and as a society. To learn more about the enduring value of playfulness, visit playfull.org—the site of a ministry I lead called PlayFull. I also invite you to like PlayFull on Facebook and follow us there. Thank you!

Christ in you, the hope of glory

The Christian is one who is “in Christ.” She or he walks in the way of Jesus. The Christian is a person who dedicates their life, all of it, to becoming more like him.

Pentecost Sunday is the day we remember that we are not simply “in Christ.” It is a day to remember that the only way I can be in Christ is to have Christ in me. And the way to have Christ in me is by the Spirit of Christ.

But we like to keep Jesus at a distance. That is our problem. As long as he doesn’t come too close and start messing with areas that actually change our living, we feel fine. This is the rub.

This paradox sets me to wondering. When God gives someone his Spirit, they never get only part of the Spirit. They get all, everything. Yet, how is it that the God who graciously gives us everything only gets part of me because I cannot stop holding something back?

How do I know I’m holding something back?

I know because the Spirit whispers a call to more faith in my heart. The need for more faith is a sign that I have more room to grow in Christlikeness. I am that “you of little faith” Jesus bespoke. Jesus, on the other hand, had great faith.

The main expressions of his faith were not when he walked on water and calmed the sea. His greatest acts of faith were when he forgave sinners like me and believed they could change. He forgave murderers and believed they could become people of peace. He forgave our infidelities while at the same time believing we could live faithfully. What faith!

Do I do the same? No, I do not. I look at those who hurt me and condemn them to playing out a destructive role indeterminately. Far from believing in change, I scarcely believe in forgiveness!

So, how is it that I have the Spirit of Christ in me but continue to live this way, failing to forgive and persisting to condemn? It is because the Spirit does not have all of me. It is because I have yet to learn that the Spirit of Christ does not condemn.  It is because I need to exercise more faith that if I love my enemy (as Jesus taught me to do) God is big enough to be my defender, should my enemy abuse the grace I offer.

Spirit of Christ, help me trust you more; help me love as Jesus does—with no reserve.