Pentecost Reflections

Bonney Shuman

When I was asked to write about “Encounters with the Divine” my mind naturally started whirling. All sorts of experiences came to mind and I then began to question myself. How do you capture “the best” when so often we have encounters every day that make us grateful for God and his many gifts? I was led to my most recent encounter as that kept replaying in my mind.

Returning to church last Sunday in our “most normal” configuration in well over a year was the best Encounter with the Divine that my family has had in quite a while. The church was so welcoming with the beautiful flowers at the Lychgate, on the handrails and front door, and on the Altar in great display with our beautiful red hangings. The tributes to Pentecost were glorious and so appreciated. Beyond that, being able to receive both bread and wine during communion was more than special. The sense of community that was present was a Divine one for me and so comforting after the uncertainty and disruption of the past year. I was fortunate to have one of my children visiting for the weekend and there with us on Sunday morning, making the return that much more delightful.

I am so thankful for all of the efforts of our Clergy and Staff during the past year (plus), to keep us engaged through on-line streaming of services, the addition of the tent, drive-through communion, thoughtful book studies, etc. I imagine that the stress of developing new and innovative offerings for our entire Parish was overwhelming. While I felt connected because of these many outreach efforts, these were all diminished when I got to walk into church this past Sunday morning and assist in the preparation of the Altar for communion. No words can really capture the feeling...other than Divine. My prayer is that you all get to experience this again soon...if you haven’t already!