May 13
Beloved families of Good Shepherd,
Peace be with you! This Sunday we’ll celebrate “Ascension Sunday” when we gather together for worship. On the Feast of the Ascension, we commemorate the great mystery of Jesus’ ascension into heaven forty days after his Resurrection.
In this Sunday’s appointed reading from the Book of Acts, Jesus promises his disciples that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and then they will be his “witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After Jesus gives these final instructions to the apostles to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Jesus ascends into heaven. The Ascension of Jesus marks the transition of Christ’s earthly ministry to his heavenly reign, where he sits at the “right hand of God”, as the second Person of the Holy Trinity and merciful Lord of the universe.
This Sunday our older children will hear “The Mystery of Pentecost” Godly Play story during children’s chapel. This story says Jesus took his twelve disciples outside of Jerusalem to a mountain nearby called "Olivet”. “Jesus then went up…and soon the Holy Spirit would come down.” The disciples were filled with joy and went back to the Temple to pray. On Sunday the disciples were in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit arrived as Jesus promised them it would. The disciples became so full of the power of the Holy Spirit that “they seemed to be on fire.” This story says, "the disciples had become apostles. They went out into all the world to tell the story of Jesus and God’s love.”
The Holy Spirit is the divine power of Love that birthed the Church on Pentecost. I am in awe of the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit here at Good Shepherd which makes our community spiritually alive and transforms us into living flames of God’s love for the world.
”Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth.”
We look forward to seeing you this Sunday!
Many Blessings,
Patty