June 5, 2019
Dear Caldwell,
It’s Gail here at the keyboard this week. I hope and pray that you are doing well and feeling good.
We had our second worship service in Belk Hall last Sunday, and we welcomed the new Hope Interns.
We celebrated the Lord’s Supper, and we also sang along with the recently inaugurated “Y’all Come Choir.”
Together we explored the practice of radical hospitality, asking ourselves, not only, “Who would Jesus welcome?” but also “Who will we welcome?”
It was a glorious time of worship. Thanks be to God!
More than once during his time of ministry on earth, Jesus promised to send the Spirit, whom he referred to in John 14:26-28 as the Advocate, Counselor, and Comforter (the word shown in the text is dependent on which version of the Bible you read), to indwell and empower those who followed him to be salt and light in a broken and fearful world. This coming Sunday, we will celebrate Pentecost – which was the day when the promised Holy Spirit descended on the disciples and other followers of Christ.
According to the account in Acts 2, it took place 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb. The Book of Common Worship describes Pentecost this way: “On this day, the Holy Spirit came with wind and flame, empowering the disciples to proclaim the good news of the risen Lord to all people.” It was good news back then, and it is still good news. Actually, it is great news – that Christ gained the victory over death and the grave and that he is alive forevermore.
This coming Sunday, John will preach from Romans 8:12-25, leading us to consider the work of the Spirit “in the meantime,” in the time between “the now and the not yet.” While we wait for all that is yet to come, in the meantime, in the mean times of life, the Spirit is with us, within us, and all around us.
Our world and our nation are broken and fearful. Our hearts are often broken and fearful. We can give thanks that the Holy Spirit is among us still, within us, and hovering over us so that we do not face our challenges and difficulties alone. The Holy Spirit also provides the strength, courage, and wisdom we need to share the good news of the love, mercy, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ with those we encounter on our life journey.
In Scripture, the coming of the Spirit on Pentecost in Acts 2 is described this way: “Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” As a tangible response to that vivid description, on Sunday, you are invited to wear red, orange, or yellow – colors that will remind us of those “tongues of fire.”
Please plan to join us in worship this Sunday as we celebrate Pentecost.
Please plan to join us as we bask in the warmth of the Spirit and fan the flames of community together.
Grace and peace, Gail
PS. Here is a link to the first two chapters of Acts. After asking the Holy Spirit to give you insight and wisdom, read these two chapters so you can have a deeper understanding of what happened on the day of Pentecost. And if you feel so moved – I certainly hope and pray that you will – keep on reading through the book of Acts. The Holy Spirit did some mighty things through those early followers of Christ.