A big
wind blew fresh air into a room where the apostles gathered in prayer. But it
wasn’t just a storm system passing through, it was the breath, the Spirit of
God. And fire rested on each one gathered, but not the sort of fire that
consumes, it was a fire that ignites people’s hearts.
The fear
and confusion that the apostles had experiences was transformed into courage
and confidence. God’s Holy Spirit rested on each one and gave them the ability
to speak in a variety of tongues. The language they spoke wasn’t gibberish, it
was familiar to the people gathered in Jerusalem from all over the known world.
They were there to celebrate the spring harvest and to buy and sell. People
from as far away as Phrygia and Pamphylia did not expect to hear such powerful
words about God in their own language.
The Day
of Pentecost is not a day to celebrate gibberish, various languages or even the
gift of speaking in tongues. It is a day to celebrate the love and mercy God
has given to the whole world. No matter what language someone speaks, no matter
where they are from, the Day of Pentecost is about proclaiming for all to hear
and understand God’s great love for everyone.
It is our
responsibility to be open to the moving of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives so
that St. Paul’s Parish can act in the world with courage and confidence. So
that we can show the transforming power of God’s love and call to justice. The
degree of love and justice is not about accusing others, it is a yardstick by
which we assess ourselves. That is why we are meeting on the Day of Pentecost
to worship and to evaluate how we can be better at helping people belong to a
Christian community; how we can better serve children, youth and family
ministry and; how we can enhance our corporate worship.
Please
join us for our Parish Meeting after the 10:00 a.m. service on May 24. It’s a
brown bag lunch.
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