Good morning! Greetings on Tuesday. I hope you enjoyed your Memorial Day. I also hope you had time to remember and honor those who served and sacrificed so that we can have the liberties we possess and meet together in the pastor’s workshop!
This coming Sunday Is Pentecost. On Pentecost we celebrate God’s outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the power God gives to do the work of Jesus Christ in the world. Pentecost marks the "birth” of the Church, as God “breathes” life into the lives of those who come together in the name of Jesus. Pentecost is a “Big Day” in Christendom!
The Scripture for this Sunday will be Acts 1:1-9. These are the opening verses of a book that narrates the story of the followers of Jesus taking the good news of Jesus (the Gospel) into a world that needs to hear that story and receive the Savior. Their story is our same story. We continue with the same mission, to take the good news of Jesus Christ to a world that so needs to hear good news and receive a Savior.
As those first followers lived into the mission and as we live into the mission, there is one “essential element”. We require the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the empowerment of God to engage the world with Jesus’ love. The Risen Christ underlines the necessity for us to have the Spirit as he, “ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father.” (verse 4). As the old commercial said, “Don’t leave home without it!”
So today I invite you to immerse yourself in the Scripture. As always read and re-read, write and re-write, paraphrase, and take notes. God has promised the Spirit in this process. Take a moment. Pray a prayer. Ask the Spirit to “show” you a word or phrase you hadn’t really noticed before. Let the Holy Spirit lead you into a deeper light of truth on what we need to fulfill our mission and to be witnesses for Jesus.
I look forward to spending this week with you reflecting on God’s Holy Spirit. I pray it will be productive. I hope it will open our minds and hearts to the ways God moves and works in each of us (Yes, that’s God’s plan!)
In that prayer and blessing I’ll let you get to work. And we’ll see each other tomorrow in the workshop!
Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for giving us what we need to be your people and to participate in your purposes. Thank you for pouring out your Holy Spirit on us. Through this Scripture open our minds more deeply to this truth. Fill our hearts with your love in Jesus Christ that we might have the power to love You provide and be the witnesses to Your grace that others need. This we pray in Jesus’ holy name. Amen.