Friends of Faith,
Blessed Pentecost to you all. It’s one of my favorite seasons of our life together — which probably tells you something about me. And whatever that says about me is true!
Pentecost is the feast of the Spirit who calls us together — who, as Luther’s Small Catechism puts it, doesn’t wait for us to find our way to God on our own, but instead “calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole church on earth.”
We don’t conjure the Spirit. We don’t make up the passion or mission. The Spirit conjures us. The Spirit connects us. The Spirit builds the church.
And this past Sunday the Spirit built us up by drawing on Sylvia Keesmaat’s poem “Pentecost and Fire.” I named three ways that Spirit moves among us:
The Spirit Ignites — like the bush that burned without consuming, calling Moses toward something he never would have chosen for himself. Passion that surprises us and issues freedom for the lost is a mark of the Spirit.
The Spirit Leads — like the pillar of fire that went ahead of wandering people through desert nights, making a way where there wasn’t one. You don’t have to see the whole path. Just the next lit step, and go there in trust.
The Spirit Refines — like the fire the prophets named, burning away what had grown hollow, calling the community back to itself and to God. That kind of fire is a gift, even when it stings.
I hope you felt some of that on Sunday. I hope you feel some of it now.
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Here’s where that fire meets the ground:
Back in January, the council opened a conversation about mission — about who we are and where God might be calling us next. That conversation is still going, and this summer I want to continue it with you, one on one.
I’m setting aside time to sit down with you and do some listening into what’s next. Like: What do you love about this community? What are you hoping for? What needs do you see in Reno/Sparks? The Spirit moves through those kinds of honest conversations, and I don’t want to miss what you’re carrying.
There’s a sign-up sheet in the narthex. I hope you’ll add your name.
What is God’s Spirit up to among us — and what are we gifted to do together, here and now? We’re finding out, together. Blessed Pentecost life to you.
In fire and in faith, Pr. Shaun