GRACE NOTES, by Pastor Pat
June, 2009
Pentecost,
a day which Christians celebrate as the birthday of the church, originally
commemorated Israel's receiving the Law on Mt. Sinai. The Book of Acts tells us that on this day all the disciples
were together in one place.
Earlier, in the Emmaus road episode, the writer of Luke portrayed them
as grief-stricken and demoralized, scattered by Jesus' death. In the other Gospels, there is an
account of the disciples locking themselves in a room in fear.
But
then, suddenly they are no longer scattered, no longer grief-stricken and
demoralized, no longer living in fear.
God sends the Holy Spirit with tongues of fire. The disciples prophesy, and the
Christian community is 'on fire' for their Lord and Savior. The Old and New Testament prophesies
merge, and the promise of baptism "with the Holy Spirit and with
fire" is fulfilled.
It
is easy to get discouraged in our world today. We are stretched in so many directions. Fear of the future and anxiety about
our present circumstances abound.
We are stressed financially.
We are worried about our families, the financial health of our
congregation. As we do the work of
visioning while continuing our ministry, sometimes we get tired. There are unanswered questions about
our future: Do we continue doing
what we have always done, hoping to get a new result? What about this merger with Church of the Good Shepherd
– is it ever going to happen?
What is the nature of our relationship with Hamline University and its
students?
An
unknown future is always more threatening than the comfort of the present, even
when we are not satisfied with the present. But in the midst of this uncertainty, in the midst of
dreaming about our collective future, we can be certain of one thing: God is working. God is working in the things that don't
go well, in the things that go better than we have planned, and the things that
have happened that we didn't plan.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans reminds us that "In
everything God works for good with those who love Him, and who are called
according to His purpose."
(Romans 8: 28)
The
Book of Acts describes the experience on the day of Pentecost with images and
wind and fire. But a more
contemporary image might be thinking of those flames as electrical sparks,
jolting the disciples into the reality of God's presence in their midst. The Spirit of God is here, right here
at Hamline United Methodist Church.
We felt it on Heritage Sunday, as we celebrated our past, and those who
sacrificed that we could be worshiping here today. We celebrate the over 150 people who make possible our
ministry in the present. We
stepped out in faith to the future as we gave above and beyond our regular
giving to carry us through this difficult financial time.
The
Spirit of God was not only present on the day of Pentecost, but is here today,
providing high voltage energy which can empower us to enlighten the world. The church is not some sort of battery
in which current is stored, but the conductor through which the charge
passes. As the wonderful hymn
reminds us: "It only takes a
spark to get a fire goingŠI want my world to know; the Lord of love has come to
me, I want to pass it on."
The Holy Spirit is at work in Hamline United Methodist Church –
pass it on!"
JUNE SERMONS AND
SCRIPTURES
June
7 'Here
I Am, Lord' Isaiah
6: 1-8
Communion
Sunday Mark
3:16-20
June
14 Rev.
Frank Dreisbach, preaching
June
21 Rev.
Greg Renstrom, preaching
June
28 'Sail
Or Sink' Psalm
130
Mark: 35-41
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reformatted for hamlinechurch.org from monthly newsletter THE LIVE
WIRE