This Sunday we will be looking at Pentecost. What’s cool is that it is actually Pentecost Sunday. See, I wish I had really planned it that way. We’re looking at Acts in our current series “Awakening up” and well with Mothers day sneaking in (I mean I had T’s gift and day events planned for months but…) well and the May long it messed up my schedule (yes you can stop the snickering, I “mostly” have one). So I added a message about the ascension last week, which happened to be Ascensions Sunday. (If I had been raised in a high church I would have this entire church calendar down, rather it was my non-church going neighbor that told me of it.) So surprise surprise!! Without knowing it we are following a bit of the church calendar Ascension Sunday and Pentecost Sunday. I feel that maybe I already had my lesson on the Holy Spirit through all this.
Anyway, this week is about being powered for mission. What’s cool is Pentecost follows the pattern throughout scripture where when man encounters a brush with God, when sacred space is made known and experienced, it is followed by mission. Form Isaiah to those touched by Jesus to Paul we see peoples natural response to an experience with God is transformation and mission. We naturally have to do and tell!! The Day of Pentecost though signifies a reworking of the world structures where God is now constantly dwelling within his people, which in fact should lead to a constant and continuous life of transformation and mission. I mean God did something new in the world on the day of Pentecost, it is the fulfillment of “God will reside with man,” “I will write the law on their hearts,” “I will be their God and they will be my people”. No longer will God seem to dwell in temples of stone, but there will be a union between us! So, where is the constant, the daily transformation and mission? Well.., I don’t think God has changed anything or moved anywhere. So I guess that leaves…well… Oh ya!
Faith and passion for God doesn’t come from just “wanting” in the cognitive Max Headroom like oh I am getting old). It’s not this Hellenistic idea of faith pistisa “knowledge about”, but the Hebrew emunah “active trust” or “faithfulness”. It’s not the “I meant too…” or “I wish I could…” both of which I am the king of, but passion comes from wanting with our heart that involves sacrifice and commitment (“Christ’s Passion” isn’t Dan Browns ideas on Jesus’ valentines cards to Mary M, no it was something quite different). Daily experiences with God resulting in transformation and mission it comes from the willingness to engage with Him, to open your life up to more sacred space. It involves discipline and commitment, but it is a discipline and commitment to live, to create a Rhythm of Life, a pattern of sustaining and growing as you would with eating, breathing, sleeping. Discipline that becomes you, in order to live. What would our lives look like if we wanted the Holy Spirits power bad enough we were willing to change our lifestyle in order to make room for it? Practice the Disciplines, set up a Rhythm of life (a rhythm for life)! With Him, listen more, breath more, act more, love more. Daily live the Pentecost!
Anyway, this week is about being powered for mission. What’s cool is Pentecost follows the pattern throughout scripture where when man encounters a brush with God, when sacred space is made known and experienced, it is followed by mission. Form Isaiah to those touched by Jesus to Paul we see peoples natural response to an experience with God is transformation and mission. We naturally have to do and tell!! The Day of Pentecost though signifies a reworking of the world structures where God is now constantly dwelling within his people, which in fact should lead to a constant and continuous life of transformation and mission. I mean God did something new in the world on the day of Pentecost, it is the fulfillment of “God will reside with man,” “I will write the law on their hearts,” “I will be their God and they will be my people”. No longer will God seem to dwell in temples of stone, but there will be a union between us! So, where is the constant, the daily transformation and mission? Well.., I don’t think God has changed anything or moved anywhere. So I guess that leaves…well… Oh ya!
Faith and passion for God doesn’t come from just “wanting” in the cognitive Max Headroom like oh I am getting old). It’s not this Hellenistic idea of faith pistisa “knowledge about”, but the Hebrew emunah “active trust” or “faithfulness”. It’s not the “I meant too…” or “I wish I could…” both of which I am the king of, but passion comes from wanting with our heart that involves sacrifice and commitment (“Christ’s Passion” isn’t Dan Browns ideas on Jesus’ valentines cards to Mary M, no it was something quite different). Daily experiences with God resulting in transformation and mission it comes from the willingness to engage with Him, to open your life up to more sacred space. It involves discipline and commitment, but it is a discipline and commitment to live, to create a Rhythm of Life, a pattern of sustaining and growing as you would with eating, breathing, sleeping. Discipline that becomes you, in order to live. What would our lives look like if we wanted the Holy Spirits power bad enough we were willing to change our lifestyle in order to make room for it? Practice the Disciplines, set up a Rhythm of life (a rhythm for life)! With Him, listen more, breath more, act more, love more. Daily live the Pentecost!
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