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Dear MRC Family,

Blessings to you, beloved of God

Rushing wind
Fierce fire
The gift of speech

It’s Pentecost Sunday and goodness, what a day of celebration do we have coming in worship!

The Joyful Noise Adult Choir will sing the Anthem “Let There Be Love”

I am preaching from Acts 2.1-4 and Galatians 5.16-26 and my sermon title is Fire & Fruit

Ahava Walpola on trumpet is back as our guest musician

We will welcome as full members into our church confirmands Amelia Caddle and Brenner Larson

We are installing Dolores Hofmann as Elder who is continuing Dan’s length of service on Consistory

We will come to the Lord’s table of welcome and grace and celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

And finally, we will continue the feast of the Lord’s Supper around tables in the Education Building with our Sunday brunch prepared by our faithful and fabulous Kitchen Crew

What a day of rejoicing it will be! I invite you to wear red to honor the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birthday of the Church Universal.

Pentecost — Can you imagine it if we were there? All of that power going through the room, coursing through our bodies, emboldening us so that we felt so strong, so at peace, so loved, and capable of accomplishing anything.

Perhaps this reflection from Steve Garnaas-Holmes will help you feel and see it:

We were sitting around talking
about how he loved us,
when it flared up in us—not a memory,
but inward fire, the love itself,
like a mother's love that drives her
into a burning house to save her children—
his love, this unbidden passion
for the world, flamed up in us
and drove us into the streets
to seek the stranger, to embrace
the foreigner, and to speak—
how to convey it?—this love
for all who'd been told
they were outsiders,
in languages not our own:
locked doors opened,
fruit placed in their mouths,
hands laid on their shoulders,
belonging nested in the crib
of their hearts. Homecoming.
That day there were no strangers.
We were all kin, all learning
how to listen together for the first time
to this mystery rising up to greet us
in each other, all of us losing
our tongues for the language of God.
Then we knew that fire Jesus had
had not been put out:
it was in us, now, spreading, yes, actually,
like wildfire.

Keep following Jesus, beloved.

With gratitude for the privilege of being your pastor and the holy call of loving you,

Pastor Trish

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