Pentecost (June 4 this year) is the day we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church. The day when the disciples, gathered together in one room, experienced the rushing of a mighty wind, saw tongues of fire descend onto each other’s heads, and found they could speak in many languages—be understood by people from all parts of the known world. Blown right out of the room by the Spirit, they went out and preached, taught, healed, baptized, and cared for the sick. They went from being a motley crowd, hiding away in fear, to being this fearless band of people who preached the Good News of Jesus Christ wherever they went. And wherever they went, they sowed and harvested the fruit of the Spirit: love.
While I have never personally witnessed tongues of fire settling onto someone’s head, nor (sadly) have I found I am suddenly fluent in another language, I have most definitely felt and seen the Spirit alive and at work in the world. She seems to be popping up all over the place at St. Peter’s. If you want to hear something like the rush of a mighty wind, come to the children’s service—it definitely has the volume of a mighty wind and the energy of a major fire. If you want to see the Spirit knitting groups of people together in community, come to a TNT or Sages gathering, or come to the women’s group—where 25-30 women of all ages come together and get to know each other. If you want to see the Holy Spirit pushing us to do new things, to serve the world in new ways, come and spend a little time with the Gurungs or at the Courtyard after-school program.
All around us are seeds of life, signs of the Spirit. People searching for community and finding it here. People already here searching for new ways to be in community, and creating it. The Spirit is blowing our doors and our hearts open. So, if you want to see, touch, feel, and know, the fruit of the Spirit: love, come and hang around St. Peter’s a bit, catch the breeze.
It is such an honor and a joy to be on this journey with you—to be part of the Holy Spirit’s life and activity in this place. Let’s keep dreaming, stretching ourselves, finding creative ways to build community, and taking risks for the Gospel. I can’t wait to see where the Spirit takes us together next.
Peace,
Claire+