Pentecost

I belong to a liturgical church.

Liturgical churches are very good at appealing to as many of our senses as possible to remind us of our story. People stand and retell it to us so we can hear it. We use special music, and even ring bells, to remind ourselves of the story.

Our buildings tend to be filled with pictures that reflect parts of the story, some of them painted on canvas and some of them made of stained glass. We actually use the sunlight coming through the windows to reinforce the story. We even change the colors of our worship to remind us of the part of the story on which we are focusing together each week.

We use a lot of candles that give off light, heat, and smoke to keep us focused and reflecting on our story, which includes quite a bit of fire. We also share in the meal of the Great Thanksgiving each week.  The taste of the bread and the wine remind us why we are there, and where we are going, each week.

Even all of this, our usual swirl of sensual reinforcement, is not enough for some of the days on our calendar. Some days need special reminders.

This Sunday is one of those days. This Sunday, 50 days after Easter, is Pentecost. In our church, this is one of the days our church uses incense.

Incense has a strong aroma. For many people, it is not always pleasant.

This week, incense reminds us that God pours power out into people. God intervenes in our lives, and gives us gifts to do what we are called to do. It can be challenging, and even unpleasant, but we always notice it. The aroma stays with us.

What reminds you of your story?

[Image by crsan – christianholmer.com]