– Vickie Ripley, Director of Worship and GMUMC Lay Leader
On May 28, during the worship service, we celebrated Pentecost Sunday, otherwise known as the birthday of the church. Acts 2 recounts the events of that day – the Holy Spirit coming with fire, wind, the disciples speaking in tongues and languages they did not know, and could not have known, and the people from all over everywhere understanding what they were preaching – that Jesus is the Son of God! It must have been an awesome, and perhaps frightening, happening. Sometimes i think that the miracle of Pentecost was not so much the speaking, but the listening, and the hearing!
Pentecost brings to a close the greater cycle of the Christian year – Lent-Easter-Pentecost. Pentecost comes 50 days after Easter. Jesus spent 40 days on earth after his resurrection and until his ascension, teaching his disciples how to go make more disciples for him for the transformation of the world. He promised to send another, an Advocate, to be with them – that was the Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity.
But the Holy Spirit doesn’t always come to us with fire and wind – sometimes he speaks with his quiet voice. Jesus appeared to his disciples who were gathered in a locked room on the evening of the first Easter and John 20: 19-23 tells of Jesus breathing on his disciples giving them the Holy Spirit. The words in Greek and Hebrew for wind, breath and spirit are almost the same. There are many Biblical references of the Holy Spirit in this way.
The colors of Pentecost are red and gold – to symbolize the fire and the power of that day. Sunday, June 4, we will celebrate Holy Communion and Trinity Sunday – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are now all in place according to God’s plan.
We now enter the Christian season called Ordinary Time, not because it is ordinary, but because it is counted in ordinals, i.e. the first, or second, or third, or twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. It lasts until Advent. This is a season which focuses on the teachings of Jesus, a season of learning and of growth. The colors are green and gold to remind us to learn and grow in our faith. I invite you to use our prayer calendars or the Upper Room devotional booklets that are provided and available at the church, or Sunday School, or anything that helps you learn more about Jesus and how he points us to God. The United Methodist Church website offers many options. The Lectionary readings are an excellent way to work through the Bible and are available online. See https://www.umcdiscipleship.org for many opportunities. And, of course, Sunday morning worship services where we and spend time together as a church family and worship together as a Christian community.