Everyday Lutherans

Today is the church’s celebration of the Day of Pentecost.  A day in which we recognize that God has blessed us with a Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us through our lives of faith and within this world. A day in which we are reminded that God is still at work and moving within this world. However, with the past week’s events, becoming aware of where God is at work in the world and in our lives can seem like a task of searching for a needle in a haystack.  Watching the evening news, we hear of more school shootings, we hear of war, or even the very Earth itself tearing apart, and we hear of people arguing about what should be done instead of actually making a difference for a solution. Yet even in these dark moments, God’s hope and love shine all the brighter.  For when a tragedy does strike a community. We bear witness to the outpour of love for the people.  And that love is the foundation of God’s Work in the world. For it is this love that moves within our own hearts.  It is this s...

Today is the Day of Pentecost.  We go from the white of Easter to fiery red of the Holy Spirit.  During the season of Easter, we are reminded of the resurrection and the new life that God has given to us through Jesus Christ.  It is during the season of Pentecost, that we are reminded of all the teachings, healings, miracles, and blessing that God was to us on Earth.  First we should note, Pentecost is not a Christian festival. It was a Jewish festival.  It is celebrated 50 days after Passover.  This is to celebrate the gift of the Ten Commandments to Moses and thus to the people.  The people are celebrating their covenant with God and God’s amazing work of forgiving and restoring them as God’s People.  However, on the day of Pentecost, our focus is not on Jesus but rather on the Holy Spirit.  The Agent, God’s Holy Spirit, The One who would lead us and guide us after Jesus is no longer among us.  It is this Holy Spirit, that we bear witn...