Pentecost Sunday. One of those days in the Christian year that we know just enough about to be dangerous. I have a hunch that if you asked your average 'church person' about Pentecost, you would be able to find out that Pentecost was the time in which Christ sent the Holy Spirit down upon the church and that a bunch of people who spoke in many different tongues could hear one another in their native language. However, I wonder if we leave our understanding of Pentecost at this level how much we are missing for what this means to us today. I wonder if we as a people have allowed Pentecost to become a celebration of a historical event rather than understanding that the gift of the Holy Spirit that Christ gave to the church is still relevant for us today.
So, rather than sitting here and speculating about this whole Pentecost thing, I am going to ask you as you prepare to come to worship this week to ponder who the Holy Spirit is and what role the Holy Spirit plays in your faith, your life, and your involvement in our congregation. As you ponder this, I want to frame your thoughts in one way - start by assuming that the Holy Spirit is a gift from God. During worship this Sunday, you will be asked again about this. During worship the past couple of weeks, we have begun to look at what it is that God is calling us to be as a congregation, and, through the eyes of our interpretation of Scripture, seen that who we are now is not necessarily who we have been or will become. I firmly believe that the celebration of Pentecost Sunday will help us to see that God is not only a God of the past but also actively at work here and now. You look at where God has brought our congregation just in the past twelve months and you see that the Holy Spirit's activity in the church is not limited to the second chapter of Acts.
You are getting this e-mail a day later than normal because I am at a conference in Fayetteville, AR, of young UM clergy from the eight states of our jurisdiction. Admittedly, I was a little skeptical about coming here because I firmly believe that one of the great weaknesses of our denomination is that we have fractured and split ourselves into too many special-interest groups - racial, gender, clergy/laity, large/small church, worship styles - and I have a great fear that by having a gathering of young clergy to discuss the issues of the church and to make proposals and recommendations could wind up as yet another group wanting to have their agenda drive the church. While I do sense some of that amongst some here, I know that God has led me here to be a part of a discussion. A discussion not of the church, but of what it is that God is wanting to do with the church. This is a discussion that we must not lose sight of, and a discussion in which we must engage.
The question is not, "What can we do to get more people to Pharr Chapel?". The question we face is, "Who is it that God is calling us to be?". Going into this celebration of Pentecost Sunday, we are faced not with the question of what systems and programs to come up with in order to get what we want, but the reality that the Holy Spirit is a gift given to us by God to lead us to God's will for our lives.
Be sure to join us in worship on this Pentecost Sunday as we remember what God did on that glorious day and anticipate what God will do through the Holy Spirit now and in the future. (Also, don't forget that each of you has a gift purchased especially for you waiting as we gather for worship Sunday morning.)
See you Sunday!
Lamar
So, rather than sitting here and speculating about this whole Pentecost thing, I am going to ask you as you prepare to come to worship this week to ponder who the Holy Spirit is and what role the Holy Spirit plays in your faith, your life, and your involvement in our congregation. As you ponder this, I want to frame your thoughts in one way - start by assuming that the Holy Spirit is a gift from God. During worship this Sunday, you will be asked again about this. During worship the past couple of weeks, we have begun to look at what it is that God is calling us to be as a congregation, and, through the eyes of our interpretation of Scripture, seen that who we are now is not necessarily who we have been or will become. I firmly believe that the celebration of Pentecost Sunday will help us to see that God is not only a God of the past but also actively at work here and now. You look at where God has brought our congregation just in the past twelve months and you see that the Holy Spirit's activity in the church is not limited to the second chapter of Acts.
You are getting this e-mail a day later than normal because I am at a conference in Fayetteville, AR, of young UM clergy from the eight states of our jurisdiction. Admittedly, I was a little skeptical about coming here because I firmly believe that one of the great weaknesses of our denomination is that we have fractured and split ourselves into too many special-interest groups - racial, gender, clergy/laity, large/small church, worship styles - and I have a great fear that by having a gathering of young clergy to discuss the issues of the church and to make proposals and recommendations could wind up as yet another group wanting to have their agenda drive the church. While I do sense some of that amongst some here, I know that God has led me here to be a part of a discussion. A discussion not of the church, but of what it is that God is wanting to do with the church. This is a discussion that we must not lose sight of, and a discussion in which we must engage.
The question is not, "What can we do to get more people to Pharr Chapel?". The question we face is, "Who is it that God is calling us to be?". Going into this celebration of Pentecost Sunday, we are faced not with the question of what systems and programs to come up with in order to get what we want, but the reality that the Holy Spirit is a gift given to us by God to lead us to God's will for our lives.
Be sure to join us in worship on this Pentecost Sunday as we remember what God did on that glorious day and anticipate what God will do through the Holy Spirit now and in the future. (Also, don't forget that each of you has a gift purchased especially for you waiting as we gather for worship Sunday morning.)
See you Sunday!
Lamar
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