Joy Together

A lot happened at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the followers of Messiah Jesus. There were flames of fire, rushing winds, miraculous languages. The gift of the Holy Spirit was so important, in fact, that Jesus said that it was to our advantage that he ascended to heaven so that the "Helper" would come to us and "guide you to all truth...and declare to you the things that are to come." (John 16).

The Spirit unites us to Christ, makes Christ's presence known to us and in us. We are empowered to experience Jesus and to enjoy the fellowship that comes from participating in the love of our Triune God.

Pretty amazing stuff. But sometimes it can remain abstract or distant. Scripture gives us many examples of how God weaves together the threads of our lives into the fabric of His grand tapestry. It is important for us to understand how God is present to us, in particular...in our circumstances, in our histories, in our daily lives. It is important for us to grasp our own stories, remember the ways in which God revealed Himself to us, and learn to see Him and hear Him in the concreteness of our experiences.

God has graciously given us many ways to encounter His Spirit...through His word and table, through fellowship, through engagement with those in need. Many of us who participated in our Lenten small groups practiced sharing "gratitude memories." We are going to pick that theme up again on Sunday to dig a little deeper into how sharing our stories of gratitude with each other can help us strengthen our bonds of love with Christ and each other.

I look forward to being with you,

Steve Engstrom+