PENTECOST!! It’s always an exciting day to celebrate and we remember the Biblical accounts of what happened as the Holy Spirit descended and we can still feel that  Spirit move among us and into us today! It takes up residence and if we follow its guidance we can be so blessed! 

Biblically, it is announced by wind and tongues of fire being present. Neither one of those things is exactly predictable. There is an element of ‘danger’ perhaps in wholly celebrating Pentecost, right? Maybe not the ‘right’ word if you don’t want your life upended. I immersed myself into this Pentecost celebration. 

I spent worship at Grand Blanc UMC providing accompaniment and celebrated with God’s family there. I learned a new communion hymn to boot. It was an easy catchy tune that Pastor Brian connected to Pentecost as well. He and the tune taught us something important. 

We are all welcome to God’s table of grace. As Pastor Brian gave his sermon he was setting up tables. Their church setting has quite a few steps up to their altar where the communion host had been prepared and was waiting for us. He proclaimed the elements were for all of us and that God’s table of Grace was certainly for all of us. You think he couldn’t set up tables that reached that altar up all those steps? Well…. you are wrong! Those tables were at all sorts of angles on those stairs and all the while he sang that song. Some of the words were just for us – this is God’s table it’s not yours or mine. 

And Pastor Brian was intentionally loud about setting up those white hard form plastic tables. It was unpredictable, for sure. He banged them on the floor, he pulled out those metal legs with a clanging will, he flipped them up onto their legs with ear shattering God-backed bravado until all was ready and the people were invited to come to the table perfect as it had landed. 

I couldn’t have predicted the manner by which he set up those tables. You could not miss the set up and all who heard came and gathered round all spots being equally perfect, up stairs and down stairs and flat on the ground stairs. It did not matter where the body and blood met them for the table was truly open for everyone with no exceptions. 

Once we finished singing the song Pastor Brian had taught us, I kept on playing as all were fed and all returned sated to their seats and the elements were taken care of. It was the most beautiful  and joyful communion service I have been part of in a long time! 

I had been well and truly blessed and went out into the slight rain of God’s new day and my new life. You can watch the service on YouTube by looking up Grand Blanc UMC worship 6/5/22. They have 2 services, I was at the 11:00. Pastor Brian has a big voice so I’m sure his message will carry to all who watch. I awoke this morning still feeling as if my relationship with God has been renewed and it is still fresh and beautiful! God’s table is not yours or mine. We don’t own it – God does – and he invites all to come and that means everybody. Period. 

Go forth and celebrate that God reigns supreme, not us. Now that is worth celebrating!

~Shauna Weil

A devotion provided by the Devotion Ministry of Goodrich UMC