Spirit

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Acts 2:4

Grace and Peace to you on this final Saturday of May. My prayer is that as you go about your day today, you encounter the glory of God in nature and in one another. 

Tomorrow marks 50 days after Easter, the Feast of Pentecost, a day when we remember when the Holy Spirit descended onto the apostles like tongues of flames. The apostles were gathered in one place waiting for the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised would come. And the Spirit arrived like a great wind and fire, giving them the ability to speak in many languages so that they could proclaim the mighty acts of God to all those gathered in Jerusalem. 

That same Holy Spirit is here with us today — comforting us in times of desolation, enlivening our spirits when we are down, expanding our hearts when we need to forgive, inspiring us to step out in action to build a better community, giving us gifts for healing, and praying for us when we cannot find words. You know the presence of the Spirit when an unexpected calm comes over you or you find the right words to share with someone in trouble.

The Spirit is always at work, seeking us out and drawing us closer to one another and to God. But we must do our part to be available to receive the Spirit. It takes practice. Tomorrow we begin a Summer Sermon Series at St. Peter’s that will introduce spiritual practices to help you do just that!  Here’s an overview. Take a look and come tomorrow to find out more.

Don’t forget to wear RED to church! We will have red balloons, red, orange and yellow streamers for children to wave during worship, and bubbles at coffee hour to continue the spirit of celebration. 

 Blessings,

The Rev. Jenifer Gamber, Rector
St. Peter's Episcopal Church