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As I think about Pentecost, the words of a Jewish song, that is more than a thousand years old and still sung at Passover celebrations today, keep going through my mind.  The chorus of the song is Dayenu which means “It would have been enough.”  The song recounts the many blessings God gave the Jewish people and states after each one is named, that even if no other blessings had followed, that would have been enough.  Had God only led us from slavery to freedom, and not fed us in the wilderness, that would have been enough.

Had God fed us in the wilderness and not given us a day of rest, that would have been enough.  Had God given us a day of rest and not given us the scriptures (in the song – the Torah), that would have been enough.  Had God given us the scriptures and not led us to the promised land, that would have been enough.  Had God led us to the promised land and not given us the Temple as a place to encounter him, that would have been enough.

As Christians, we could continue with a list of even more remarkable gifts.  Had God given us the temple and not come to live among us, that would have been enough.  Had God come to live among us and not conquered sin and death on our behalf, that would have been enough!  Had God conquered sin and death on our behalf and not chosen to make his home in our very being, that would have been enough!

Today, we celebrate a miracle that is so amazing, so overwhelming, that we sometimes fail to take it in.  Today we celebrate the fact that the God who created the heaven and the earth, the God who called people to be his partner in caring for the earth and who called us back and welcomed us back each time we broke that partnership, the God who became incarnate, walked among us to teach us,  died and rose from the dead, this same God has chosen to dwell within us and interact with the world through us!  The gift of the Holy Spirit is more than enough to meet the challenges of the world!

Today is a day of exuberant celebration, but also a day of deep puzzlement.  If the gift of the Holy Spirit is more than enough to meet the challenges of the world, why do the challenges of the world seem to be threatening to overwhelm us on every front?

One line from today’s second reading would seem to provide the answer to this question: “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  We have each received the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We each have talents and abilities, wisdom and insights, strengths and drives that are unique to us; but they have not been given to us for ourselves.  They are given for the benefit of all.  They are intended for cooperation, not competition.   As with every other gift we have been given, the gift of the Holy Spirit is more than enough to bring the world to the place of peace, joy, and abundance that God intended.  But also like every other gift, this is a gift that we can misuse.  Pentecost is the reminder that if we try to protect what we have, and wait until there is extra before we give, we will never get beyond scarcity.  If, however, we trust in the unquenchable fire of the Spirit and we focus our energy on doing good for others and sharing freely with all who are in need, what we have been given, will be more than enough.                             

Pam Driedger