Pentecost recap , May 19, 2013 (full size gallery)
We had 36 at our service which is lower than normal with people away. Other visitors included the 17 year old cicadas as well other critters – ants and spiders. More pleasing were the line of small yellow wildflowers in front of the church and in the graveyard and the geraniums in the church window sills.
The weather was somewhat dull until the end of the service when the sun shone through but also which raised the humidity.
Most of those who came did wear red to symbolize the holy fire coming down to the disciplines on that memorable Pentecost. Geraniums lined the windows and was a symbol for the day
It was Justin’s 25th birthday which was celebrated. A new Christian education offering was announced as well as an ECW trip to Ginter Gardens in Richmond in June.
Becky spoke on her family’s trip to the Hope for Humanity fundraiser, the South Sudan school. They were trying to raise $15,000 for contructing a boarding facility for the girls to stay. Many of them have to travel many miles in hazardous conditions. She spoke about young girls getting married early in their teenage years which lessens the education they get. By the time they left the fundraiser Hope for Humanity had collected half of the amount.
Catherine extinguished the Paschal candle symbolizing the holy spirit traveling with us now.
This fit into her sermon which can be read here. (The readings are here.) The main points are these:
1. "Jesus has not left us alone….This Spirit is at work here and now, in each of our lives, and in our life together as a community—and this Spirit brings new life…. the Spirit of God is present with us, even in our sufferings. "
2. "In the meantime, for those who suffer here and now, for whatever reason, this promise of the spirit of truth, the Advocate, who will be with us forever, can help us find comfort in our places of suffering, because Jesus tells us that this Spirit who comes alongside us will bring us into a place of peace, will give us untroubled hearts, and will take away our fear even in the most awful of situations. And that Spirit never abandons us, but remains with us always. "
3. "In the gospel today, the disciples gathered around Jesus are facing the impending loss of the person that they have given up everything to follow and they are experiencing that same hopelessness that the writer of Ecclesiastes captures so poetically, that same hopelessness that each one of us has felt or will feel in our own lives. "
4. "As human beings, we are weak, and we will suffer and ultimately we will die—but as disciples, we are called, as the church, out of our own weakness, to witness to God’s mighty deeds of power, and to be so open to the spirit that we can speak in a language that can be understood by those around us, those who are also suffering in this world. "
5. "And our own suffering helps us to learn and to speak this language. The language of God for today is the language of God’s powerful peace. It’s the language that dispels fear rather than creating even more fear. It’s the language of the Comforter, who will never abandon us. It’s the language of Jesus, speaking to us, even in our darkest moments, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” I will never leave you alone."
Pentecost can be plotted on a timeline. Pentecost is the end of the 50 days of Easter and the beginning of something else. It is the second half of the church year. Have we made a difference yet ?
Pentecost is the Church’s celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit. It comes from the realization that God’s very life, breath and energy lives in, with and among us. Those who are Christians experience this life through Jesus because they see the Spirit so fully manifest in him.
Start your engines running ! Like the original Old Testament 50 day period – the remembrance and celebration of God giving the Torah to the Jewish people for us it is a time of renewal. It is also renewal of God’s covenant As well as fulfillment of Jesus’ promise.
How do we renew ? The John reading seems to say our mission on each is do even greater works. Pentecost wasn’t just an event long ago that we remember. It is a time David Lose says where Christians are taking the initiative – "I see the people I’m around continuing the story that started so long ago by sharing their faith, living with confidence, claiming the power of God in their lives, reaching out in mercy and love to those around them, and more. I see them, that is, as the Church that continues to be created anew by the Spirit.
Pentecost is the end of the 50 days since Easter but for each church a call to be greater than in the past. This may have been brewing but now it can bloom. We do this as a church. Pentecost is doing those things we can’t do by ourselves
For the early Christian church, the festival of newness continued, moving from new crops to new spirit, as the church marked this day as the moment the waiting disciples received power and energy to leave their place of hiding after the crucifixion of Jesus and take their story out into the world.
This festival is all about new life, new energy, new power, and thanksgiving for the abundance of it all, the diversity of the world. We need to break out also.
Carol Gregg writes this week "The Spirit is at work wherever there is community. The Spirit is at work wherever there is gratitude. The Spirit is at work wherever there are "sighs too deep for words." The Spirit is at work wherever there is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control," for these are the fruits of the Spirit. The Spirit is at work as the "whole creation groans in labor pains" birthing new life.
Ultimately, it is a story of mission. Luke’s entire story in the book of Acts is one of bold movement, beginning in that room in Jerusalem and reaching to the ends of the earth, always moving outward despite all odds, always inviting and including new people, despite opposition
William Temple wrote years ago "Don’t wait till you know the source of the wind before you let it refresh you"