Pastor Dan - June 2016

 The month of May is a very special month, especially this year, the year of our Lord 2016. School ends for many of our young people as well as many of our adults. There is a transitioning of how we spend our day to day time as the summer months swelter ahead. Many people transition from winter homes to summer homes. We will celebrate the confirmation of three of our young people and recognize two High School grads. For these five young people, transitioning into a new stage of living is slowly unfolding and will be upon them sooner than they think. We will also celebrate Mother's Day. We do celebrate all women on this day, but a special emphasis on those women who renew the face of the earth as new life comes into this world through their labor in birthing children.

 This May, we also celebrate the greatest labor of love to ever come into this, our world of time and flesh, and that is the fulfillment of the Christ event: the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. This event we celebrate on the Day of Pentecost. We celebrate mothers who give birth in May and this May we celebrate the Lord giving life to the church and giving us new life in the Holy Spirit. I know it is sooo difficult to find Mother's Day cards between the tons and tons of Pentecost cards, but I'm sure you'll be able to find one suited for the special woman of your life.

  Of course, the card thing is a joke. But as important as the Pentecost event is to the entirety of humanity and creation, one would think that this day would have an incredible amount of people joyously celebrating world-wide. The churches should be packed full, just like at Christmas and Easter. Churches should have to hire police to direct the traffic going in and out of their parking lots. The Pentecost celebration is the peak of the Jesus' work on earth. The Christ triumphed over sin and death and removes those barriers within in order that God's Holy Spirit may fill our hearts and souls. God's Holy Spirit dwells among our families, our neighbors, our places of work and school, our neighbors and our neighborhoods.

 The above statement is perhaps why Pentecost doesn't get the special celebrative status as Christmas and Easter and that's because the Spirit is in the every day. The Spirit is active making the common into the holy each and every day. The Spirit is active making the broken and weak, strong and whole. The Spirit is active shaping our day to day to be a day of and for God's love and redeeming. The Spirit is the day to day working of the Lord.

 May the Spirit fill your days in May and all your days.

In Christ's love and service,

Pastor Dan