Remember some of the games we played as kids, games like dodge ball, catch, football, tag, you're it, you got cooties, hide and seek? Yelling screaming, laughing and crying were all experienced in those games. When the game got out of hand we called each other names. Remember calling or being called the nerd, geek, stupid, freak, etc.? In the midst of all the name calling, all the hurt and fun of the games there was one universal accepted reality in that kid culture and everyone knew, understood and accepted the meaning of it. This universal kid truth was called "Safe Base."
Remember safe base when you and I were kids? Safe base was an agreed upon place where you could go and when you got there, you were off limits and safe! Sometimes it was a trash can cover, an old cereal box, a person's shirt... whatever the agreed upon object was, 'everyone knew that it was 'safe base' and everyone knew what that meant.
The Church as our Safe Base
Safe base was never debated or challenged. No one was able to touch you there. No one could hurt you and you couldn't be tagged out. You couldn't be given cooties. If anybody could make it to safe base, no one could beat them up or call them names. If you made it there, you were safe without question and no one dared challenge this accepted reality.
This Pentecost, as Orthodox Christians, we remember that the Church became our 'safe base' in the world. Jesus left us with our Holy church as our safe base on earth. The church is that familiar haven where we find comfort, peace, and security from an ever-changing world. It is a place that has remained constant over the centuries. Constant in her worship, constant in her understanding of the Bible, constant in her purpose, and constant in helping her faithful live a transfigured life in Christ.
On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit didn't fall in a general way; it touched each Apostle individually. It was intimate, personal, and transforming, transforming them to become living temples of the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit, the church and her faithful, were able to respond in prayer to the challenges and struggles of life throughout the centuries.
When we are on the safe base of the church, we believe that we are unconditionally loved and that nothing will take that love of God away. No war, no sickness, no emotional distress; not even death will keep us from God's love. Jesus promised us that the gates of hell will never prevail against His Church. There will never be any challenge that gets in the way of God and His faithful.
Living in the Fire of the Holy Spirit
On Pentecost, as Orthodox faithful, we celebrate and remember this life-changing experience of the first Christians affected through the powerful coming of the Holy Spirit in each of them. They were changed. From people unsure of themselves and full of fear and uncertainty, they all became powerful witnesses of the presence of Jesus Christ. A flickering spiritual flame settled above each of their heads, making them look like human candles! They were on fire for Christ!
The church as safe base reminds us of our own Pentecost, when we received the fire of the Holy Spirit at our baptism and chrismation. The priest pronounced the words, 'the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.' We became a living temple for the Holy Spirit and our calling at baptism is to faithfully put on Christ and live a life worthy of our Christian calling. We too are to be on fire and alive for Jesus Christ. And like those first followers of Christ, every part of us is filled with the Spirit, every part of us is able to participate in preaching the good news, in acting on the gifts we have. The gift of the Spirit is not only for our own transformation but for the life of the world!
On safe base at Holy Apostles, let us continue to learn to let go of judgments and complaints, let us learn to forgive those who loved us poorly, let us have courage that God will pull us out of any despairing situation.
When we are on the safe base of the church, we can embrace the reality that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we embrace that we are called to be factories of kindness and love, and we embrace that our very breath is a gift offered by our Almighty Lord!
They were never the same again. That same Holy Spirit, the one who empowered fishermen to speak with boldness and love, is offered to us today. Not as a vague idea or poetic image, but as a living fire. The Spirit comes quietly, often times with a whisper rather than a wind, to light something deep within us—a flame that longs to burn away fear, doubt, and indifference.
Remember, the gift of the Holy Spirit isn't reserved for the saints or the few. It's for us—all of us—right here, right now. If we open our hearts!
Come, Holy Spirit. Ignite the flame in our heart!
+Fr. Tom
 Originally published in the Holy Apostles E-bulletin. Subscribe here.
