The wild creativity of God

In the month of Pentecost, the Rev Ruth Kennedy encourages readers to ‘blow a holy wind’ into digital platforms.

I WONDER what we associate with this month of May: exams, Star Wars Day, Pentecost, General Assembly? Perhaps National Biscuit Day, even all of the above? This is a month of stresses and strains, relief and fun, but then maybe that is similar to many other months for us? However, there are particular and significant events in our Christian and Church calendar for May which present the opportunity to discern the will of God, reflect and consider our response to them and be remoulded by the Spirit of God into ever more intentional active agents of faith in this world. Where God, the Creator, gives us form in his endless love and limitless design, inspiring hopeful, creative and wild possibilities of what God might be doing.

Personally, I love this month for Pentecost, that celebration of the Holy Spirit being poured out which we read about in Acts 2.

Luke tells of an unusual description and experience the early followers of Jesus had when the Holy Spirit descended on them. Not like the dove that we read about in Matthew 3 at the baptism of Jesus with the heavenly voice of love and affirmation. Which is an altogether tame-sounding experience in comparison to Acts! Here at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes like tongues of fire which rested on the people with what sounded like a violent wind.

How wild and untamed! Possibly not what they were expecting at all given how the Spirit of God came on Jesus before. And yet, it was the same Spirit of God from heaven. The followers recognised this was a fulfilment of the prophecy from Joel, they were experiencing God doing what He said He would do. But I still have the question, is this how they expected the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to be?

The vivid and multisensory description in Acts encourages and challenges us with the sheer wild creativity of God. Encouraging because fire and wind are powerful elements which remind us of the power of God which the Holy Spirit lights up in us. Challenging because it demonstrates God may work in unusual and unexpected ways, even asking us to do the same.

Digital ministry has a similar feel about it, encouraging and challenging. We might think we have a handle on livestreaming our services, holding hybrid meetings, and using social media only to then discover that the Spirit of God is setting a spiritual fire in us to reach into God for more. Blowing a holy wind into other channels and platforms where we can reach people we do not know are even being reached! When we have this fire and this wind, God remoulds our hearts and the digital content we produce, our communications to speak the tongue, that is the language of those who are viewing, scrolling, listening, engaging. Sanctuary First’s theme for April was ‘Wild Jesus’ with various digital resources and study questions to explore this aspect of Jesus and our faith. Between Wild Jesus and celebrating the wild outpouring of the Holy Spirit I am left with three words; ‘Go with it’!

“ This is a month of stresses and strains, relief and fun, but then maybe that is similar to many other months for us?

Go wild with God and let the world know the untamed compassionate power of God in the Church!

The Rev Ruth Kennedy is Digital Ministries Advisor for the Church of Scotland and minister with Sanctuary First.