Greetings First Pres Family and Friends,
This coming Sunday is a special occasion in our church calendar year. This coming Sunday, May 19, is Pentecost. Pentecost is 50 days from Easter (Easter + 7 weeks of 7 days = 50). Pentecost is the day when remember the disciples receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. In many ways, the Holy Spirit easily becomes the forgotten third person of the Trinity. Most of us think of God, the father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. We also have a strong focus on Jesus, the son of God, who lived, died, and rose to new life…but our ideas of the Holy Spirit can be a little cloudy (for lack of a better word).
What is your experience of the Holy Spirit? Do you think much about the Holy Spirit? How often do you direct your prayers toward the Holy Spirit? Do you consider what your relationship with the Holy Spirit is like? I think in the Presbyterian tradition, we have such a history of education and intellectual thought, that sometimes we don’t prioritize thinking and experiences around the Holy Spirit. Our worship tends to be more planned and less spontaneous. We like to do things “decently and in order,” and sometimes the presence of the Holy Spirit can be disruptive.
Scripture teaches us that the Holy Spirit is an advocate, a comforter, a guide, and an encourager. Following Jesus’ ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9), the disciples gathered together for prayer. They prayed for ten days, and then on the day of Pentecost, something miraculous happened: A blowing wind, tongues of fire, various languages spoken, a miraculous display of God’s power and presence. I know that we, as Presbyterians, don’t talk a lot about the Holy Spirit, but I think we should.
God is with us. We are not alone. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work inside of us. How have you experienced the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in your life? I’m certain these are stories worth telling.
Very truly,
Pastor Adam