More than 3-D
“More than 3-D”
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b Acts 2:1-21
Pentecost Sunday, Year A, May 31, 2020
First Presbyterian Church of Sandpoint, Idaho
Andrew Kennaly, Pastor
In life we’re used to operating in three dimensions. We understand height by looking up, width by looking around, and depth by seeing into objects. We use words like it, or that, when we point at things, which appear to be external in reference to us. Three dimensions has depths of perception so we can see how far things are from us, or how close, how deep and wide, or how tall; all of these measurements help us make mental frameworks of what we call “reality.”
But “Reality” with a capital R, like God with a capital G, involves more than we can see with our eyes. Reality is more than 3-D, and multiple dimensions are involved, and many realms of existence are possible. Many scripture references refer to how the LORD comes down in a cloud, for example, meeting Moses on the mountain or transfiguring Jesus on a mountain. Theophanies, are moments where God shows up, often on mountains, but not always. Like Paul on the road to Damascus, or Mary at the annunciation as the angel appears from the heavenly realms, and the Holy Spirit fills her.
We like to define boundaries and processes, and thus the images of up, middle, and down, and yet Reality is far more intertwined than these simple, 3-D models allow.
“O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” As the Psalmist shares, we know that not only are there many things, but they increase, they multiply. That’s what manifold means, the relational ways creation enhances variety and diversity as life reflects the vast and intricate beauty of God. “In wisdom you have made them all” is an inclusive statement claiming God’s sovereignty, God’s reign, the weight of glory expressed through creatures as realms intermingle to reveal God’s wisdom.
In the book, Acts of the Apostles, we see God’s Spirit filling the disciples and all those gathered for Pentecost, the traditional harvest celebration, in Jerusalem. People from all over the known world were present for this very important occasion and this is when the Spirit blows like the sound of a rushing wind.
Realms intertwine as Luke writes, “And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like…” and he goes on to describe the scene. That word, “like” points to the fact that when it comes to heavenly things, divine life, Godly qualities, and movements of the Spirit, the best we can do is make analogies. God is like a rock, the sound of the Spirit is like a rushing wind. Nothing in our language or our experience can truly capture the fullness of God’s glory. Like the Psalmist talking about “creeping things innumerable” living in the sea, which is “great and wide,” these reflect aspects of God. That God permeates every thing is shown by the qualities of gathering food and being sustained, or dismayed, and even dying, “returning to their dust” as it says. Things depend on God in order to be things. That we are even here is because God is choosing to love us in this moment, sustaining us.
Even when our life is over, “the glory of the LORD endures forever,” as the Psalmist puts it. This is more than 3-D as God animates creation, both seen and unseen, with God’s very Self. Even the Psalmist reaches the limits of words trying to describe awe, wonder, and reverence in response to God’s touch. The Psalmist sings praise to God as long as they have life, and then says this, “May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD. Bless the LORD, O my soul.”
More than the limits of words, this is soul-level living, and rejoicing that claims meditation, which is experiential love in divine Presence. Waiting, being, trusting, breathing; knowing at soul-levels that our very life is our meditation, and God is living through us, and all things, in relationship, to give expression to God’s very Self.
Pentecost is more than the birthday of the church, more than a festival to celebrate God’s provision, more than waving banners claiming God’s Holy Spirit moving among us. It is all of these, but so much more. Pentecost is a reminder to us that we are participants in the revealing of God’s glory and this is an ancient Reality, a perennial Wisdom including more than meets the eye as realms relate and dimension dance.
I recently spent time working in my garden, trying to get things planted, working the soil so it is healthy and full of nutrients. I have compost bins at home, just old pallets set up to make sections that I throw scraps of material in hoping they transform into something wonderful. I like eggs, and chicken, and we even have chickens that lay eggs, so I crush the shells and put them in. I like rhubarb in the spring, but you can’t eat the leaves so I cut them off and throw them in. I like bread, but if it gets moldy I put it in the compost. Those chickens I mentioned make a lot of chicken poop. I scoop it up and put it in the compost. Cut grass, shredded paper, wood shavings, leaves, scraps from the kitchen, even human hair swept up after haircuts, and fingernail clippings; these all end up in the compost.
None of them are very pleasing to deal with on their own, and mixed up they get kind of gross for a while as the process of decay takes place. This process breaks down these various things into their more basic components, like carbon or nitrogen. As the form changes from something dead and broken into its elemental, basic form, energy is reclaimed as the mix of materials creates new relationships at molecular levels, and the result is some wonderful soil that’s exceedingly beneficial.
It takes time, and some attention along the way, but mostly while this active process takes place, on our end this involves waiting, patiently, for these processes to go about their work down in the deep, in the dark, in unseen parts of the pile. You know it’s happening, if you hold your hand nearby you can feel the heat. Add a little water, allow some air, give it a mix, and over time, what was once disliked and discarded is now valuable, functional, and precious. Garden beds benefit from healthy compost. New foods emerge as nutrients are passed on. We eat that food and it maintains our strength.
The disciples are waiting. They are together in one place. Their world, after Jesus died, then appeared in resurrection scenes, and ascended, is now in a phase of waiting. They are together, maintaining relationship, claiming community, and holding what seems like a type of vigil as they trust God very deeply. Then suddenly, God’s Spirit moves. The world has never been the same. Pentecost continues as call to trust God’s active, living Presence in the world, both on a cosmic scale and within the stirrings of our own hearts.
As we live, may we trust God’s loving Wisdom to fill, empower, and guide. May we claim our place in relationship with all other expressions of God’s very Self, which is all things. May we live in more than 3-D, asking God’s Spirit to reveal at soul-levels deeper Reality. May we call on the name of the Lord, and as Jesus breathes the gift of peace, may we breath deeply. May the humble, vulnerable love of God be glorified, NOW, and always. Amen.