Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced
- Psalm 105:1-5
I had a pretty hard, tough day, yesterday. Not because of any work I was doing, but because of one of the things I was working towards. Now, I’m sure part of it was the just the ups and downs of life in the coronavirus age. Part of it could have been due to the 5 children running around the house. (We watch our nieces during days both their parents have to work.) However, the hardest part was the work preparing for this Sunday.
We have spent many Sunday’s apart from one another, and I and the worship team and staff have worked to continue to offer ways of leading praise to God, and keeping us connected as best as we can. We missed some big Sunday’s as well, Palm Sunday and Easter. Still, as I look to share the message of Pentecost, it seems especially hard.
On Pentecost we remember that God did not abandon us after the resurrection, but sent to us a counselor, the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God that lives within. The beginnings of Methodism are inspired by the working of the Holy Spirit. On what we celebrate as Aldersgate Day (May 24), we recount the story of how John Wesley (Methodism’s Founder) had his “heart strangely warmed.” In my own experiences of truly knowing the love and overwhelming joy of salvation found in Christ, I attest that the work of the Holy Spirit is truly important in the life of the Christian. We recount in Acts 2, the day that the Holy Spirit warmed the hearts of those who had gathered from all places to Jerusalem. The passage says about 3,000 repented, were baptized and joined the believers that day.
What I find so hard about preparing for this Sunday is knowing no one will be gathered in that place where we pronounce the birth of the Christian Church. No one will be there as we remember how the Holy Spirit came like a mighty rushing wind, and touched the disciples with tongues like fire. We won’t be gathered to hear the Spirit move again, on Pentecost, and I grieve that we won’t be able to gather in that beautiful Sanctuary.
Yet, the words of the Psalm give me hope. I have hope becuase I know the Holy Spirit is still at work in our church, it's at work in you! I rejoice because I know that while the Sanctuary may be empty, again, the message will be spreading across the airways as people invite the message into their homes. I rejoice because God is still going to do a mighty work in the lives of those who hear the message and believe. I know that we will rejoice together because we will remember what the Lord has done, and we will rejoice in what God will do, and when we do gather in person again, we will share with one another the ways in which we have continued to grow in our relationship with God. How His love has warmed our hearts yet again. For God’s acts continue to be wonderful, and our hearts will continue to seek his mercy, his grace, and his love.
Grace & Peace,
Sam