May 2023

God’s Beloved People,

Through most of May we are still in “Eastertide”.  That is, we are still in our 7 week Easter feast celebrating the great news that changed the world forever: the resurrection of our Savior Jesus from the dead.  Every Sunday is, of course, a “little Easter” as our buddy Martin Luther said.  But the 7 weeks and Sundays of the Easter Season go clear up until Pentecost on the 50th day after the resurrection, which is May 28th this year.

Pentecost: the word means 50 days.  Originally in the Jewish calendar it was an early grain harvest festival which also celebrated God giving the 10 commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai.   Acts 2:1-5 says this. “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 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.  Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.”

The risen Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to his followers and that gift is delivered at Pentecost.  Pentecost is a gift of both speaking and hearing so that people of many different languages can understand “God’s deeds of power.” (Acts 2:11)  Pentecost is the birth of the Christian Church.  All the followers of Jesus, there were about 120 by then according to Acts 1:15, are empowered to tell the great news of forgiveness, life and salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  All followers of Jesus today are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to tell his good news and share his love with all.

Red, for the fire of the Holy Spirit, is the color for the day of Pentecost.  So I encourage you to wear something red to the birthday party of the church.

In Christ,  Pastor Dennis