By Rev. Lori Whittemore,
Pentecost is a Christian Holiday. It is observed the 7th Sunday after Easter. Prior to the birth of Christ, Judaism celebrated the same period of time as a feast day. There was a pause between the spring and fall harvest. The time-frame of that celebration parallels the timing of when Pentecost occurs. Pentecost celebrates the time when the Holy Spirit descended onto God’s people and caused them to speak in tongues. It marks the beginning of the Christian Church. Pentecost, like the Jewish festival, marks an in-between time—between our past and our becoming.
I believe the pandemic could be an in-between time. A time of reflecting on the fruits of our past labor and a look ahead for what work will yield the greatest nourishment. A time of reflecting on what lessons can be gleaned from the lives we have lived and the crops we have grown. A time of reflecting on what it means to share in our common humanity in different and more thoughtful and just ways. This pandemic has once again highlighted the institutionalized and systemic inequality, and, dare I say, oppression that exists in our society. Can we take this as an opportunity to steer the ship in another direction? The glimpse of a healing earth as a result of a slower pace could take us in new directions in our stewardship of our planet. The glimpse (once again) of the unadulterated institutionalized racism, both in access to healthcare and in police brutality should inspire us to act on a new ideal.
My daughters are both in-between young adulthood and adulthood. Both have shared how difficult it is to launch at this time. They can’t work, can’t maintain apartments without work and can’t socialize. My youngest blames the “boomers.” While I am not technically a baby boomer, her point about us previous generations is clear. We have contributed to the system that holds them back, more often than not, by our complicity. Our family is all (mostly) grateful that my daughters can fall back into our home. My husband and I have come to expect the daily conversation about how much harder it is for our kids to get education, get access to healthcare, to live independently. I wonder how those conversations will transform our time together and beyond.
May this in-between time of pandemic inspire responsibility and idealism. May those of us with resources divest from what doesn’t serve the world or our neighbors. May those of us who need, lead the way. May the fiery tongues of Pentecost shed a light on our brokenness so that we can see paths forward that we had never imagined. And may we walk new paths, keeping sight of the earth and the whole of humanity as the Community in ways that we have yet to imagine! I don’t know all of you reader’s faiths, ethnicity’s, or perspectives. I offer this link as a tangible way that some of us can begin to steer our ship differently.
Lori Whittemore a spiritual care volunteer for the American Red Cross and Maine Behavioral Health, as well as the founder and director of Abbey of Hope and Clinical Pastoral Training Center of Southern Maine (CPTCSM). Through CPTCSM she trains chaplains and pastoral care givers with today’s varied religious and spiritual landscape in mind. Rev. Whittemore approaches interfaith ministry from her Christian background and training as well as her interfaith education at Chaplaincy Institute of Maine.
Field at Sunset image by Peggy Choucair
