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Archived 06/06: A Message From the Pastor
Rev. Alice Ann Bonham
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From the Pastor's Desk -- "But Peter ... addressed them.... 'No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: "In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy...."' (Acts 2:14ff) These verses of scripture are just a small part of what was said in Jerusalem on that first Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection. This is Peter's response to the crowd when they are stunned about hearing the scriptures spoken and stories of Jesus told in their own languages by people who couldn't possible know those languages. It was a very incredible event. But it's important to remember that these are not Peter's own words. He's quoting, almost directly, the prophet Joel. What I find curious about these words are the people who are not left out regarding who would have a prophetic voice. No one is left out. Whether we like it or not we are all either a son or a daughter of someone. Whether we fit into any other category doesn't matter, because we're all a son or a daughter. This means that we all have a voice to share in service of the kingdom. I'm reminding you all of this because I have need of some of your voices. We will be celebrating Pentecost a little differently this year. We will be having a service that more closely resembles a revival. June Duffy, our Organist/Choir Director, is planning and arranging for a wide selection of music. If she hasn't already asked you to share your musical talents with us on that Sunday, she will. I'm working on gathering together people who have a testimony, a special moment of experiencing God's grace, a poem or story to share. Along with these we will be dedicating Prayer Clothes that the Disciple III class has prepared and prayed over in the hopes of helping others in their prayer journeys. These Prayer Clothes were created out of the old Paraments that hung in our sanctuary for years. They have been in the presence of many hours of worship with many hymns and prayers and while they have no special powers to impart, they may be a source from which we may all experience God's grace. I don't know yet exactly how the service will be put together. I don't know yet how God will bless us. What I do know is that by all of us working together to share our gifts and experiences, God's blessings will abound. So when I come and ask you to share something of your faith journey with the rest of us, please don't hesitate. Accept the prompting of the Holy Spirit, step out in faith, and fulfill the prophetic role that has been given to you. May the love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ and the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve, and keep you now and forever, Amen. Pastor Alice Ann
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