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Welcoming the Holy Spirit

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Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:18 KJV

Growing up Lutheran in the 1950’s our catechism class taught us that God was a Trinity: The Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We were all pretty clear on who The Father was, and obviously Jesus was His Son, but “Who is this Holy Ghost?” we asked each other. On the way to school my friend Wally and I decided to ask our Catholic buddy Louie. We figured that maybe the Catholics knew. But Louie was as mystified as we were!

Of course, as I grew older, I discovered that the Holy Ghost was the Holy Spirit and though that made it a bit clearer, it was still easy to dismiss His importance, or to think of Him as the Junior Partner of the Trinity. But He is no less than the other persons of the Trinity. By the Holy Spirit, Jesus was conceived in Mary. By the Holy Spirit’s hovering over the waters of a dark planet, God created all life and by power and action of the Holy Spirit, Christ is born into our hearts by faith. So, as we wake up each morning, we should remind ourselves that it is the Holy Spirit who stands ready to walk with us, protect us, and empower us. Why not welcome Him into our lives today and ask Him to guide our thoughts, actions and words? As we welcome Him this way, we will discover the wonder of walking with Him through everything and anything that lies ahead. Inviting the Spirit of God into the home of our hearts makes Him our Savior, but when we put the keys to our front door into His hands, He becomes our Lord!

A Song for Holy Saturday

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 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Luke 23:56

While many have debated as to what Jesus was doing on Holy Saturday, few have thought of what His friends were up to. Though some speculate they were fearfully hiding, overwhelmed by sorrow or confusion, among the gospel writers, only Luke, gives us even the smallest detail. They simply rested. We might wonder, since Jesus had told them so many times that He would rise again, why none of them believed. But I think most of us would have to confess that during times of grief, few of us operate along logical pathways. We feel as if we were stumbling around in a fog. Activity, decisions, and even eating all seem impossible tasks at the moment. What we need most is rest and Holy Saturday is the Sabbath which God has given us between the sorrows of Good Friday and the joy of Easter. Holy Saturday is walking through the valley of the shadow, with our Good Shepherd, protecting and guiding us when we are most vulnerable. Holy Saturday is the table of rest and refreshment in the wilderness, where we pause along our journey to the joys of the Father’s House, that waits for us at the end of the path.

I hope you will be blessed by this song which I sang during communion at Life Care Center on Good Friday. My friends in long-term care know better than most of us that our lives are in the hands of our Good Shepherd. And what time better than Easter is there to follow Him as close as His heart, for the way that leads home is the Old Rugged Cross!

Rock and Roll in 1739

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. Matthew 28:8 NLT

On Easter morning when the news broke out that Jesus had risen from the dead, I can’t imagine that the disciples simply sat down to discuss it quietly over a cup of coffee. Noooo!!! They were ecstatic, fearful and shocked all at the same time! Why should we sing the hymns of Easter with any less exuberance? Back in 1739, when Charles Wesley first composed Christ the Lord is Risen Today, His lively version would have struck the church leaders in the same manner that a rock concert at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral might ruffle some feathers today. But the joy of Christ, the power of His resurrection and the hope of life from the dead ought to rouse us today. No matter what we face or are going through right now, let that truth sink into your heart: “Christ the Lord is Risen Today! Hallelujah! Sons of men and angels say: Hallelujah!!!”