It’s a big Sunday for two reasons—it’s Pentecost, and we begin our summer service schedule at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
And to that, let’s add a third big layer—we’re celebrating baptism at the 10:00 a.m. service!
Pentecost is a major feast in the Christian calendar. It’s the day when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the movement that would become the Church. When the Spirit descended upon the disciples, they suddenly spoke in a multitude of languages so that the diverse people of God could understand clearly the story of their newfound faith.
Our world is profoundly in need of a Pentecostal moment, in which the barriers of language and nation and culture and politics melt away so that we can truly see one another as children of God, so that we can hear a word of sacred truth that comes not through argument or marketing, but through the diffuse language of vision and dreams.
When the Spirit arrived to be among the followers of Jesus, Peter remembered the words of the prophet Joel:
I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
We need visionaries, prophets, and dreamers to chart a way forward that reflects the loving face of God. We must learn to listen to the Spirit that guides each of us to a lively relationship with God, and with each other. This is the essence of Pentecost, and the mystical heart of our faith.
This Sunday, don your favorite red shirt and shoes and join us at 8:00 or 10:00 a.m. to welcome the Holy Spirit as we joyously celebrate baptism, and to come alongside the word of God that arrives in visions and dreams.
Faithfully,
