Pentecost is one of the great and ancient feast days or celebrations of our faith. It comes every year on the 50th day after Easter. Pentecost is a Greek word that means 50th. The Pentecost story is quite old. Its origins are found in Exodus, where 50 days after the Passover, Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive God’s law, which contains instructions about how to live a holy life and carry out God’s purposes on earth. The Israelites discovered that there is power for a changed life and a changed world in those instructions that Moses brought down from the mountain.

For Christians, Pentecost is all about the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. Acts chapter 2 says that on the first Pentecost day after the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples were all together in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit, like a mighty wind, blew through the room they were in and filled them with power. The story says that they could see the Holy Spirit resting on each person’s head like tongues of fire. Then they all started speaking in the many different languages of those who were visiting Jerusalem on pilgrimage for the feast day, telling of the mighty works of God done by Jesus. Some say that this was the fulfillment of the promise that Jesus made to them to baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

When we gather for worship on Pentecost Sunday, May 19th, we’ll have a wonderful procession with music, flags, and scarves waving—all in the yellows, reds, and golds of fire. Please come dressed in the styles of your ethnic traditions and backgrounds or in red, yellow, orange, and gold so that we can celebrate visually the beautiful and powerful diversity of God’s holy human family.

The whole point of Pentecost for us in the church is not to have a spiritual experience but to transform the world with the power of heaven, starting with us! The Spirit of Pentecost, God’s Holy Spirit, comes to unite Jesus’ followers with an unparalleled power for the untamable purpose of transforming the world with forgiveness, mercy, and justice – a revolution of love.

If you are bold enough to seek God with your whole heart, then be prepared for the wind and fire of God’s change to accomplish some drastic spring cleaning in the dusty rooms of your life and our church. Be assured that God will give the Holy Spirit to everyone who wants it. It’s the power needed for the purpose of changed lives, a changed church, a changed world. Jesus makes it clear that God wants to give the Holy Spirit to us. All we have to do is ask.

I love this church! I’m praying for you. And, I’ll see you out there in the wind, living the Jesus Way.

Pastor Jim Head-Corliss

Forever Changed – The Power of the Resurrection to Change Your Life

The resurrection of Jesus changed forever the lives of those who followed him, and it can transform your life as well. Join Pastor Jim as we continue our Eastertide study of the power of the resurrection to change the lives of 7 key figures in the Bible. What God did on the cross and through the resurrection changed their lives. It has the power to change yours, too!

May 5, 2024
Eastertide 6
Paul – Acts 9:1-25

May 12, 2024
Eastertide 7
Jesus – Ephesians 1:18-23

May 19, 2024
Pentecost Sunday
The Gift of Understanding – Acts 2:1-21

Standing on the Promises –
The Power of Trust to Change Everything

If you cannot trust, you’ll never experience the freedom of deep joy or love. Whether it’s your relationships at home, at work, in the church, or in the world, success depends upon your ability to trust others and to grant them your trust. Join Pastor Jim in the months of May and June to learn what the Bible has to say about caring, sincerity, reliability, and competence as the foundations for an open and trusting mindset. You’ll also learn how to face and overcome distrust in yourself and others.

May 26, 2024
Pentecost 1
Choosing Trust