Pentecostal Promise

So when they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?' He replied, 'It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts of The Apostles 1: 6-8)

I inherently read texts like biblical passages that I desire to hold fast to my heart while subconsciously setting aside contrary or conflicting "truths." Today, I desire assurance that "All Things Work Together for Good for those who love God, who are called according to God's purpose." (Romans 8:28) I want to set aside any doubt that I may experience even as I observe matters occur that are and are not within my "control." I wonder if my personal experience isn't quite like the disciples experience here in the first chapter of Acts. Jesus informs them that they will receive power from God's Spirit even as he commands them to be his apostles. They went back to their room, prayed earnestly, and awaited the Holy Spirit's arrival. They didn't have precise clues about how and when God was going to act or when they would receive the assurance and evangelical tools that they needed. They waited, they prayed, and they hoped.

There's so much for me to learn there. Perhaps there is a Pentecostal promotion for you too.

The Holy Spirit came and descended upon them. God's pneuma came and filled the house that they were in. They didn't get a divine memo ahead of time. They didn't get ahead of themselves either. They patiently and prayerfully hoped that Jesus the Christ wouldn't let them down.He didn't.

The folks at WorkingPreacher.org (with thanks to the attentive people at St. James - Cincinnati who posted it on their Facebook page) have made the cool video that's located at the top of the page how we should be receiving the Spirit this Pentecost Season. We need to be thinking outside of the box. We need to be offering The Holy Spirit's "breath-giving" gifts whether we are consciously waiting for the Spirit's presence or acting upon the principle that the Spirit has already descended upon us.

Caring
Preaching
Teaching
Sharing
Healing
Hoping

We need to get out of our own self-doubts and trust that God is imagining great things through Jesus Christ's Gospel. Christ is being activated through Christ's body (us) to spiritually and prophetically claim that Christ's love and justice is present in our churches and neighborhood.

Blessings Along The Way,

Missionary Witnesses

Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24: 45-58)

This "tweener" week from Ascension Day to Pentecost is a celebration of missionaries for Episcopalians. Holy Women, Holy Men invites us to celebrate the lives of Boniface today, Ini Kopuria tomorrow, Roland Allen on Wednesday, Columba - Thursday, Ephrem the Syrian this coming Friday, and Barnabas on Saturday.

Each one of their lives witnesses to their desire to know Jesus the Christ's spirit of wisdom. Their hearts were enlightened with the Holy Spirit's hope as they undertook their Christian callings.Their works, miracles, and sacrifices revealed the riches of God's glorious inheritance as well as the immeasurable nature of the Creator's great power for believers who are working out the Holy Trinity's redemptive and reconciling power. (Ephesians 1:16-19)

I am pondering what their lives mean for me as I daily discern how God is calling me to be better preacher and proclaimer of Jesus the Christ's gospel. Most of this week's Holy Men departed from their communities of origin and traveled to other locations to offer Christ's compassionate grace to strangers and seekers alike. They abandoned wealth and political power in most cases. They used their talents to translate and preach biblical texts. They transformed the lives of the people around them, not through intellectual prowess alone, but by building caring companionships over extended periods of time. How might I understand their talents more deeply and devotedly through Christ's Grace and presence?

I'm not sure but I'm glad for each of their examples and writings. Today I will have coffee with someone's whose spouse recently died. I will counsel a young person who needs comfort. I'll draft the parish's weekly newsletter. At some point, I'll do laundry. What missional words and works might you offer? Each one of these and thousands of other similar moments provide opportunities for Grace in between the Feast Days for me and you to be missionaries. God used the saints' experiences, their failures, their victories, their prayers for the raising up of the Church and as a benchmark for all of us to continue to seek repentance and proclaim forgiveness to people in our surrounding towns as well as to faraway lands.

Blessings Along The Way,