what's love got to do with it?

As Pentecost Sunday approaches, I'm reminded again that Jesus had to leave for us to experience the more intimate, the more intense, and more personal union with the Spirit that God promised and that, perhaps more important, that God knew we needed.Yes, God knew we needed the Spirit.  We needed close, intimate communion.  A principle or precept wasn't enough.  A law wouldn't cut it.  Relationship alone would bridge the gap.The Bible doesn't begin with Jesus.  It begins with God the Trinity, in relationship - Father, Son, and Spirit.  And it doesn't begin with a problem to be solved.  It begins with a God of Love, existing eternally in intimate relationship, perfect communion.  It begins with our deepest longing.The Bible's message, from Genesis to Revelation, is a message of re-union.  God's pursuit of Love's restoration defines each moment of redemptive history, even its darkest moments.  God's anger is defined by Love.  God's absence is understood only in and through Love.  And God's ultimate redemption, though judicial, is ultimately a Love Story.As Pentecost Sunday approaches, I'm reminded again that Jesus had to leave for us to experience the more intimate, the more intense, and more personal union with the Spirit that God promised and that, perhaps more important, that God knew we needed.