Dear Friends,

Do you remember the first time you got glasses – or perhaps a hearing aid? Suddenly you could see (or hear) with much greater clarity. This helps give us an idea of what Pentecost is all about.  Allow me to explain. Before the day of Pentecost Jesus’ disciples were in a bit of a fog. They only half heard the things he had been teaching. They were in hiding, waiting for the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem.

At Pentecost the Holy Spirit showed up with power (see Acts 2:1-4) and all of this changed. They saw and understood clearly and were emboldened to tell the world about Jesus. (see the rest of Acts) It’s not that they had no clue before this. They had known and loved Jesus and even encountered him risen from the dead, but it wasn’t enough. In order to spread the good news and ultimately change the world they were in need of being ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’.

The same thing is true today. We see the church struggling and the gospel misunderstood. Divisive opinions are rampant, and many Christians are confused and uncertain. In order for Christ’s mission to go forward, his sheep (us) need to ‘be being filled with the Spirit’. (Eph. 5:18) Yes, in the original Greek text it’s the present tense, meaning ‘keep being filled’.

Let us be praying for this for ourselves, our leaders and all Jesus’ followers. After all, the mission is God’s work through us, not our work for God.

Sunday, May 23^rd is Pentecost Sunday. We won’t as yet be meeting in person, but we will celebrate communion virtually during our 10:30 stream. Please remember to have some bread and wine or juice prepared. Hope you will join us!

In Christ’s love,

Harry