tality. By accepting the iconic role of sacraments to signify the presence
of God, Pentecostals can utilize liturgy as a doxological tool for greater
divine encounter and formation.
T HE SACRAMENTAL NATURE OF CREATION
Through participation, the world is a site of God’s sacramental presence,
and the sacramental effi cacy is in the “sign value.” The sign points to the
reality signifi ed (God), and through this sign God becomes immediately
present and experienced. 33 Thus, signs act as icons to encounter the sac-
ramental presence of God. 34 Regarding the semiotics of sacramental pres-
ence, Frank Macchia writes: “the reality signifi ed becomes present and is
experienced through the visible sign in the process of signifi cation. The
reality signifi ed is actually made present in the process of signifi cation, in
a way analogous to how we as ‘souls’ are made present as ‘bodies.’” 35 If
creation participates in God, then creation itself is semiotic, for it acts as
an icon toward God.
Creation participates in God and is always and at every point en-graced.
In this way, the transcendent, particularly the Spirit, is present in creation
and infuses the world with sacramental potential. The sacraments are not
effi cacious means of saving grace that operate from mere performance, but
they are points in which transformative grace can be experienced when the
signifi ed becomes real through the sign. And as fundamentally embod-
ied creatures, our actions and affections shape who we are and what we
believe (holistically). Thus, Pentecostal rituals, as both affective and cogni-
tive, lead to transformative encounter. Pentecostals, therefore, should not
be afraid to use the word sacrament , nor should they be troubled by the
liturgical shape of worship.
P ENTECOSTALS, SACRAMENTS, AND LITURGY
As mentioned above, the expectation of encounter with God is the
heartbeat of Pentecostalism. Prayers for healing, fresh infi lling and new
baptisms of the Holy Spirit, and tongues and interpretations exemplify
this expectation of encounter with the God who is always already pres-
ent. These expectations and encounters accord well with the broader
defi nition of sacraments. Thus, Macchia identifi es glossolalia as a sac-
ramental sign. Macchia observes that “Pentecostals... grant tongues
a primacy among charismatic signs in signifying the empowerment of
126 Y. SHIN