This Sunday marks the descent of the Holy Spirit upon a huddled group of disciples in an upper room. That day transformed them from fearful believers into bold witnesses of faith in a risen Christ and all that he stood for.
As we take part in the Holy Eucharist on bended knees at the communion rail this Pentecost Sunday, what might that transformation look like for each of us going forward in this new season? I can think of several possibilities for us as the Church of Jesus Christ:
like the disciples in that upper room, making prayer a central place in our families again for the sake of the world;
rededicating ourselves to Christian growth and discipleship through worship, study and service, bringing our children and youth with ourselves as their models;
trusting the Spirit as we imagine and pivot toward new ways of worship, outreach and partnership with our neighbors to meet the needs of those in our mission field;
translating our prayers into action to establish sensible gun laws that 70% of Americans and the United Methodist Church support. With the power of the Holy Spirit, our prayers and our vote can make the real difference in protecting our children.
Like the disciples, transformation will mean going beyond the previous comfort zone of our long-held "upper rooms" and going beyond the church walls to, "Judea, Samaria and the ends of the world" (Matthew 28: 16-20). See you in the transformation place this Sunday.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
