Hello Gloria Dei,
Back a few years ago, Garrison Keillor was asked what he thought were the five most important books of all time. Do you know what he put at the very top of the list? The biblical book of Acts. In explanation he simply said, “The flames lit up on their little heads and bravely and dangerously they went onward.”
The book of Acts, as you probably know, is the story of the early church. It is sometimes called “The Acts of the Apostles”. And while this is a good title, I like to think of this book as being all about “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.”
After all, the apostles were afraid and timid. That is, until the Holy Spirit showed up and filled them with belief, love, and the bravery to be witnesses to the risen Christ.
The day the Holy Spirit was unleashed on those early believers is called Pentecost. This weekend in worship is Pentecost weekend. The color of the day is red, so if you’d like, please wear red to church. And if you’d like to read about Pentecost, take a look at Acts 2:1-21.
We celebrate Pentecost because the same Holy Spirit who worked in and through those men and women of the early Christian Church is the same Holy Spirit who works in and through you and me today.
As Martin Luther says in his explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed, one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Lord and Savior of our lives.
A second role, after we come to believe and trust in Jesus, is that the Spirit empowers us to put our faith into action by loving others. The apostle Paul calls this, “Faith Active in Love.” We all have many opportunities each day to put our faith into action. One such opportunity is through the Feed My Starving Children Event happening at Gloria Dei. We are still in need of about 150 volunteers on Saturday, June 21, to help pack 100,000 mobile food packs. Click here to sign up for a two-hour time frame.
And thirdly, the Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnesses to others of what Jesus is doing in our lives. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Acts 1:8. Before he ascends into heaven, Jesus tells us, “You will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.”
This weekend and always, let’s celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit within us, enabling us to believe, to love, and to witness.
Have a great weekend and I’ll see you in worship,
Pastor Tim
P.S. Gloria Dei Swag ends Monday June 9 @ 11:59pm. T-shirts, hoodies, cardigans, ¼ zips, and children’s shirts available. Order now for delivery to Gloria Dei.
