Pentecost

Happy Pentecost everybody!!!

This is a very special week in our church. We are celebrating the day of Pentecost. It may not be the most well-known festival we have, but it is essential to the work of the church today. Pentecost is the celebration that honors the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the day where we boldly declare that God has not left us alone.  The Spirit continues to live and move in among us.

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

1 Corinthians 3:16

Have you ever had moments where you felt truly alive? Perhaps you felt a fire burning within you. Maybe you felt called by God to start a new job, move across the country, or let go of a traumatic history… The promise of Pentecost states that God is always reaching into our world to bring hope and guidance.

This past week I was reminded of a girl from a youth group I led several years ago. This girl had faced a number of trials. She had lived through gang violence. She never had much food, and she had just been diagnosed with cancer… All of this happened before she turned 18! Sometimes life is not fair! However, she also had this incredible spirit of grace. She cared about people. She asked incredibly thoughtful questions, and she was always at the church ready to serve. When it was time for me to leave that community, I felt incredibly blessed to have known her. The Holy Spirit was working through her, and she had an incredible impact on my life.

I feel this story is important, because it reminds me that God is working in each and every one of us. It is not all about me or my own personal calling. God is working in the church as a whole, and sometimes the people who seem the most insignificant are actually the most valuable! The church needs each and every one of you, even if you don't feel very noteworthy.  You are loved and God is working in the midst of us all!

Blessings!

Brian