The streets and storefronts of Hailey, Idaho are getting ready for a celebration.  Ever since the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from his Taliban captors in Afghanistan, his hometown has been dressing up for his imminent return. The posters, balloons, and ribbons tell the world that Bowe is loved, his life is significant, and he is not alone as he faces the tough journey ahead.

This is just what people do for those who may be feeling unloved, insignificant, and lonely.  And this is what God does.

This Sunday is Pentecost. It’s God’s, and the Church’s, festive commemoration of Our Lord’s grand statement that we are loved, significant, and do not walk alone. The choreographed pageantry is intentionally designed to communicate, in majestic style, the breadth and depth of God’s care for us. We wear red, sing songs, and baptize babies not simply to commemorate the historic event of tongues of fire coming upon the heads of the disciples  – but to remind ourselves of some incredibly important truths.

After all, if you’re like me, when was the last time you felt insignificant? Or wondered, ‘What’s the point?’ or ‘Who really cares?’  These are not only the most pervasive, but perhaps the most debilitating thoughts you and I can entertain. God knows this. God knows how fragile and capricious we are. God knows how insecure and fearful we can get. And this is why we’ve got this grand celebration on the calendar. This is why you and I are being asked to start looking at our lives, and at our relationship with God, as substantive, important, and significant. Pentecost asks us to look up at God, then over at God – who is no longer simply a presence in the sky to be awed, but now a companion and leader walking beside us, right here, right now.

What’s it gonna take for you and me to get God down off the pedestal and start cultivating a deeper, more personal relationship? To level with God? To understand that God really is here, walking with us, and in every circumstance giving guidance, comfort, and praise? God is no longer far away. God is right here, loving and walking with us. There are few better reasons to party.

Reading

Drops like Stars – Rob Bell

Preaching in an Age of Distraction – J. Ellsworth Kalas

If You Meet George Herbert on the Road, Kill Him – Justin Lewis-Anthony