Come, Holy Spirit...

Acts 2

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues^[a] as the Spirit enabled them. ⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,^{[b] 10} Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

Like a strong and driving wind...

The author of this article read the story of the coming of the Holy Spirit as Lectio Divina and then interpreted it in her own words...words worthy of thought.


"I am still mourning Jesus’ death, even though I believe the Resurrection wipes away that pain. But as one of the women who follow Jesus, my heart is sore from his loss. I still wish to see him in the flesh and hear his marvelous words, which healed my wounds instantaneously. I am here in the house with all of my comrades, waiting for something. I know not what. I am fearful, though I wish I were not. I had hoped for comfort, being together, but so many bodies pressed close to me chafe, as if I were wearing a hot, rough garment.

A sudden noise outside makes me look up. “Is it the wind?” I ask a woman next to me. She shakes her head, eyes wide. The noise continues like a storm, but the kind of storm that brings rain after heavy heat and drought. It rushes into our room, and suddenly each person there stands straighter, as if courage were being poured into them. I see flickers of fire about the room — now on that one’s head, now on Mary the mother of Jesus’ head, and suddenly, that fire is on me. It burns and refreshes. How can something be hot and cool as water at the same time?

“My fearful heart collapses like an empty wineskin and instead is filled with certainty, love and belief. I want to run outside and tell the whole world what we know to be true.”

 

In that moment, all my doubts are washed away. My fearful heart collapses like an empty wineskin and instead is filled with certainty, love and belief. I want to run outside and tell the whole world what we know to be true, so I join the others pouring out into the streets, speaking in different languages. Words rise within and flow out of my mouth, words I didn’t know I had. It is some other language but I understand it. The language of my heart says, “Everything I told you is true. I was dead yet now am alive. The works of power I did, now you can do. Do not be afraid. Go out into the world and preach my words.”

I fall to my knees when the words stop, but my strong heart remains. I am ready to rush off into the streets, proclaiming the truth, but some older members of our community caution us saying, “It is still dangerous for the disciples. Be careful.”

Some of the women and I look at one another. We know how to be careful, but we also know how to raise a child, one word at a time, one lesson at a time, one thread of discipline at a time. We are uniquely prepared to preach the Word, and no one would think us dangerous because we are only women."

Pentecost

...in 2 minutes from Busted Halo!

Embers

Gifts in Community....

Nadia Bolz Weber has a unique way of putting words together. More than once, as I have read copies of her sermons, I've had to pause...because she just explained something, in words I understand, that I had been struggling to wrap my head around...this week is no different. Her sermon is on Spiritual Gifts...

And the gifts he lists are awesome: wisdom, knowledge, faith, discernment, miracles, prophesy. But the point is this: It all makes sense to me that we need some people who are wise and some who are discerning and some who have knowledge.  But what struck me this week was that included on the list of gifts from the spirit that some have and some don’t but that are given for the good of the whole: is faith.
Faith.  The thing Christians torture themselves about having or not having or having enough of.

And unlike singular gifts of prophesying or knowledge, or teaching yoga, we assume faith is the mark of the Christian.  Weren’t most of us taught that we must, as individual Christians have the right quantity and quality of faith?  Yet faith is listed among all the gifts allotted to some people for the sake of the whole.  In a way, it kind of takes the pressure off.  That is not to say that Faith is not critically important.  It is.  Clearly it is.  It’s just that I think God doesn’t necessarily give faith in sufficient quantity to individuals.  God gives it to in sufficient quantity to communities.

Which is really kind of beautiful. It’s a real hang up to a lot of people…maybe even you…you worry you don’t have faith, because you don’t always intellectually ascent to a certain set of theological ideas.  But what Paul seems to be saying is that maybe faith isn’t everyone’s spiritual gift.  Maybe the Spirit creates more faith is some people than others but that their faith is for the common good of us all.  That feels like a blessed relief to me.

I encourage you to read the entire piece...

Worth...

Except for my husband, everyone who knows me today thinks me to be an extrovert. I can approach most anyone and start a conversation. I can speak in front of 5, or 50, or 500, it makes no matter. But it wasn't always so...

Due to the circumstances of my nature and childhood, I was an excruciatingly shy child and teenager. Not only could I NOT speak in front of people, I spent most of my time trying to be invisible. It was so much easier if nobody noticed me. Looking back, I had no idea how worthless I thought I was. Isn't it funny how much easier it is to believe someone who says bad things about you?

God was not happy with me...but He didn't give up on me either. I say He wasn't happy, that's probably not an accurate statement, I'm sure I broke His heart...everyday. He had created me, loved me, held me, comforted me and yet I doubted Him. It's all part of the thinking...why would the Creator of the Universe even cast an eye toward me?

It took a long time for me to get to this point, but God is nothing if not patient. He put me with a husband and a family who wouldn't let me think less of myself than they did.

He does have a way of giving us exactly what we need, when we need it, if we but let Him. Are you standing in His way? I was.

In the end I understood that it wasn't me that was worthless, it was my attitude toward me. I cannot possibly conceive what my worth is to Him, but that doesn't matter. He knows and I'm so glad ...

Pentecost...

in 2 minutes...

from Busted Halo

As an FYI, the symbol of the United Methodist Church is called the Cross and Flame.

Can you guess what the flame stands for?

The history and significance of the Cross and Flame emblem are as rich and diverse as The United Methodist Church. The insignia's birth quickly followed the union of two denominations in 1968: The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church.

Following more than two dozen conceptualizations, a traditional symbol—the cross—was linked with a single flame with dual tongues of fire. The resulting insignia is rich in meaning. It relates The United Methodist church to God through Christ (cross) and the Holy Spirit (flame). The flame is a reminder of Pentecost when witnesses were unified by the power of the Holy Spirit and saw "tongues, as of fire" (Acts 2:3).

The elements of the emblem also remind us of a transforming moment in the life of Methodism's founder, John Wesley, when he sensed God's presence and felt his heart "strangely warmed." The two tongues of a single flame may also be understood to represent the union of two denominations.

Fruit

Fruit must nourish. Fruit must strengthen. Fruit contains that which is essential for health. And the fruit that we produce as the church is not to be hoarded and enjoyed by us. We produce this fruit and bear it to a starving, malnourished world, bringing sweetness and succulence to an all-too-often dry and bitter existence.

Fruit Loops (the cereal) bears no resemblance to any fruit grown in nature. It’s fake. It’s chemical. And it offers virtually no nutritional value. But the fruits of the Spirit — the fruit that will last — is real. It’s organic. It’s good for you. The world doesn’t need more Fruit Loops, but it can use all the real, delicious, sweet, juicy, nutritious fruit it can get.

The author has a good point...read the rest here...

Companion of the Souls

When the two disciples recognised Jesus as he broke the bread for them in their house in Emmaus, he "vanished from their sight" (Luke 24:31). The recognition and the disappearance of Jesus are one and the same event. Why? Because the disciples recognised that their Lord Jesus, the Christ, now lives in them ... that they have become Christ-bearers. Therefore, Jesus no longer sits across the table from them as the stranger, the guest, the friend with whom they can speak and from whom they can receive good counsel. He has become one with them. He has given them his own Spirit of Love. Their companion on the journey has become the companion of their souls. They are alive, yet it is no longer them, but Christ living in them (see Galatians 2:20).

Henri Nouwen

Holy Spirit

Many of us understand (or feel we do) what the Holy Spirit IS...but when it comes time to explain or describe it for someone else we get stuck...Gavin has a unique way of looking at it...Kleenex and the Holy Spirit.

And Youth, once you watch, lets discuss!