based on Acts 2:1-13
Faithful God,
You promised us a new beginning,
a new way to be what you call us to be,
an enduring presence that would allow us to realize yet-unknown possibilities.
But we didn’t expect howling wind,
purifying fire,
a message adapted for all to understand in their own way.
To be honest, we would have preferred something a little less chaotic,
safer,
something that asks less of us
and feels closer to what we already know.
But this strange yet scary invitation to receive what we see and hear
is too much to dismiss as mere drunkenness.
And so we will follow where the wind blows
and trust that new order will follow from disorder
and new life from what came before
leading to what we do not know
but that we trust will bless us
in ways we will linger to observe.
Amen.
Jeffrey A. Nelson 