Shirin McArthur

Dear friends,

Yesterday was Pentecost, the “birthday” of the church. On that day, the nascent church received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Uneducated fishermen spoke in different languages in the heart of Jerusalem. People were amazed and thousands were baptized. Word of Jesus spread and the message caught fire, eventually spreading across the world.

Today’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Galatians gives us a window into Paul’s life as he sought to spread that message. It wasn’t always easy. The joy and unity of Pentecost didn’t last. After Paul preached to the Galatians, other early Christians arrived with a different message, saying that the gentile Galatians had to obey elements of the Jewish law. Not everyone had the same ideas about what the church should look like or the best ways to follow Christ. These differing opinions stirred up confusion and frustration, for Paul and the early church.

The same is true today. We are not all of one mind, despite all following one Christ. This is one of the realities that our Beloved in the Desert community members experience during their year together. I teach each year’s cohort about the Enneagram, which reveals our basic personality type and corresponding sin and grace. As we learn about ourselves and how to live together in community, we realize that we literally cannot be “of one mind.” However, we can learn to respect each other’s differing perspectives and support one another in learning and growing toward spiritual health and faithfulness.

I love teaching these classes with Beloved members. We share laughter over the choices we make, some painful recognitions of our unhealthy behavioral patterns, and some genuine “ah ha!” moments as we realize the unconscious reasons behind what we do. Through it all, we learn to listen to each other, respect differences, and find compassion for ourselves and others.

This is also what Jesus learned when a Canaanite woman asked him to heal her daughter in today’s gospel lesson. He was initially unwilling, telling her he had come only to minister to “the lost sheep of Israel.” She persisted, however, and he welcomed her faithfulness. Through that exchange, she became part of his community of many different people following one Christ.

—Shirin McArthur

More of my reflections can be found on my blog.