I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this weekend. On Sunday we will celebrate Pentecost. This is a big day in the life of the church. In fact, I put it right up there with Christmas and Easter. This is the day we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birthday of the Christian church.
We will mark this day with great, spirit filled worship. We will celebrate holy communion. We will welcome new members at all 5 of our services this weekend. And at our Amesbury location, we will even celebrate baptism by immersion right in the sanctuary! These are going to be amazing services and I know you are going to want to be a part of.
If you are not entirely familiar with the Pentecost story, I would encourage you to take a few minutes to read the account in Acts Chapter 2. There you will read the story of what happened the day God's Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples and those who gathered to hear them. But it is actually in Chapter 1 that Jesus begins to prepare them for what they will experience.
"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised" Acts 1:4
The Holy Spirit is described in many ways in the Bible: a comforter, a guide, a help, a healer and much more. In Acts 1:4 Jesus describes the coming of the Holy Spirit as a "gift." Sometimes I'm not sure we recognize that. There is a song we sing in worship from time to time entitled "Good, Good Father." He is a good Father, and we are told in Matthews 7:11 that he is a father who gives good gifts.
In the Holy Spirit, God has given us a great gift. It is the gift of His presence with us. It is the gift of His strength when we are weak, His direction when we feel lost, His healing when we are broken and His wisdom when we need insight. This Sunday we will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit! I look forward to seeing you all as we celebrate this great gift.
God bless,
Pastor Steve
PS. I would invite you to wear red on Sunday. It is the color of Pentecost to represent the tongues of fire that descended on the disciples when the Holy Spirit came.