Between Sundays for Week of May 29, 2023
Pentecost – celebrated on Sunday, May 28 this year – is the celebration of the birth of Church. We read the story from Acts 2:1-21 that tells how the disciples were gathered in a room when there was a rush of violent wind and divided tongues as of fire. Acts tells us that all of those gathered were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking “in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability.”
In the wonder of these images from Acts 2, it’s easy to think that Pentecost is simply a dramatic story about the birth of the Church. The purpose of this story, however, is to remind us that the Holy Spirit is given in order to fill us with the power, the courage, the audacity, and the Spirit needed in order to share God’s deeds of power made known in the death and resurrection of Jesus. We live out this courage every time we gather for worship to share the story of Jesus!
At its heart, Pentecost is a celebration of Jesus and the ways that he keeps reaching out to us through the lives of the people around us to remind us that through his cross and resurrection he has saved us once and for all! God’s Holy Spirit is present in this world as it has been from the beginning. It is as near as your breath. And as long as you breathe, God is confirming that you are enough. We are the ones God has choosen to reveal God’s mighty love to the world!
| P.S. On June 4, we will take worship on the road to the pavilion at Center Park in Perinton! Invite your friends and help us to spread the word by spreading our Facebook invitation in your social networks! Share in worship at 10 AM (note the time). There will be no livestream on June 4. Let us know if you need a ride or other assistance to share in worship that day! |
The book of Acts shares the dramatic story of the first Pentecost in Jerusalem, 50 days following the resurrection of Jesus! The story is filled with so much spectacle that it’s easy to think that is the point. Amy reminds us that the point is ALWAYS Jesus and his saving love made know in us and through us.
Ponderings
A poem for Pentecost
This was a gale that formed a fist,
a punch turning into a full kick that almost
sent me flying downhill. The Greek word
translates as “a movement of air.” But this
was karate; I loved the force of it, its full
release and enthusiasm.
In my tedium, I wish I might
keel over when that other spirit blows, or that
that fierce, holy breath would fill me to
almost-bursting, a red balloon
buoyant with air, pressure inside and out,
and no strings attached.
-Luci Shaw