Words of Welcome

Psalm 29 It was in the year that King Uzziah died that God called Isaiah to prophetic ministry. That call from God came in a vision, in which Isaiah saw God seated high and lifted up, with the hem of God’s robe filling the Temple. And six-winged creatures called seraphs flew about the throne calling to each other: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is filled with his glory. ” Although Isaiah was overwhelmed by what he saw and heard, when the time came, he answered God’s invitation to be God’s messenger to God’s people by declaring: “Here am I, send me”  ( Is. 6:1-8 ). Paul wrote to the church in Rome, reminding them that everyone who is led by the Spirit of God is one of God’s children. Since we have received the spirit of adoption, the Holy Spirit bears witness to our spirits letting us know that we are God’s children, which means we are God’s heirs. In fact, we are joint heirs with Jesus of all God’s promises. Therefore, while we may suffer with Christ, we wi

  John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 Pentecost Sunday has finally arrived. Therefore, this is a good day to wear something red or at least something that suggests the color of fire such as yellow or orange. Pentecost Sunday is one of the three holiest days in the Christian year. That’s because it celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon a group of Jesus’ followers gathered in the Upper Room, giving birth to the church of Jesus Christ.   Our reading from the Gospel of John places us in that same Upper Room on the night before Jesus’ execution. According to John’s account, after dinner, Jesus offered a lengthy teaching session. He offered them a word of comfort and encouragement, telling them not to be troubled by his departure because he would send to them the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Truth ( Jn. 14 ). Because there is much more to reveal to the disciples than he has time to share, this Advocate will lead them into the fullness of God’s truth. Yes, the Spirit of Tru

Acts 10:44-48 We tend to live in silos where everyone looks like us, thinks like us, and believes like us. It’s a comfortable existence, but there’s little chance we’ll grow spiritually or intellectually. If this is true, then perhaps we need a nudge from the Holy Spirit to get out of our relationship ruts. Although Pentecost Sunday is two weeks from now, this morning we’ve heard a word from the Book of Acts reminding us that the Holy Spirit is the central actor in Luke’s second volume. The Book of Acts opens with the story of Jesus’ ascension. Before he departs, he commissions his followers to be his “witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” However, he tells them to wait until the Holy Spirit comes to empower them before they head out into the world.  The first step in fulfilling this promise took place on the Day of Pentecost, when the Spirit fell on the disciples who were huddled in the upper room, empowering them to proclaim the gospel