Scripture: Acts 2:1-21
Pentecost: Another high holy day of the Christian calendar. Called by many the birthday of the church, Pentecost represents a passing of the mantle of sorts—from the Incarnate Christ to the ever-present Spirit, the reminder of the God within, the sustainer, the teacher, the strengthener. Pentecost is a day of celebration for all that God has done and is doing within the life of the church.
Scripture: John 17:1-11
This is the seventh Sunday of Easter: the final “of.” It is time to turn back to the one who is “chosen and precious,” except, as you’ll see, he turns it back to us. Even when talking about himself, his own glory, he turns back to us. It’s amazing, really. in this moment, you’d think he would be focused on himself. But even in the final moments on this earth, were the objects of his attention and his prayer.
Scripture: Psalm 66:8-20
There is honesty in these words, as you usually find in the psalms, that will connect with many as a witness to the struggles in their own lives. Let the people have a voice and find that voice. Although they are reading ancient words, they are telling their own stories. It is a story that doesn’t end in suffering, but in praise.
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2-10
But we are living stones, so what does that mean? How do we carry this foundational presence out into the world? How do we commit to building a church that transforms not just those inside, but those outside as well? How will our body-building strengthen our whole neighborhood and not just ourselves? This is the challenge of the living stones: discipleship for the transformation of the world.
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:19-25
What makes it a revival? All kinds of things could be considered, but it comes down to two things: first is an invitation to discipleship, and second is the hospitality of a loving community of faith.
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:17-23
The season “of Easter” is not a time for worm thinking! It is a time for claiming the gift of abundant life. It is a time or picking ourselves and one another up when we have fallen to get our feet back on the path toward the kin-dom of God (or back on the dance floor where we can express our joy in whose we have become).
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Eastertide is a continuation, but also an application. The proclamation still rings in our ears, Christ is Alive! This leads to the inevitable response, “Now what?” What does Christ’s resurrection mean for us? How are we made alive again? How do we live into eternity, even as we continue in the world as we know it? How do we live as Easter people in a Good Friday world?
Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10
The grand and glorious reversal of all we thought we knew about life and about death, Easter is God’s yes to love and to life eternal through the Son, Jesus the Christ. This is a day of color and light and joy as we celebrate resurrection with all that is within us.
Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130
We start with the Psalm, which begins with a hard question but then ends with hope. It begins with an admission of guilt, or need, or emptiness and then moves toward grace and reconciliation. Without that grace, who could stand? Without that hope, who could stand? We would be dry bones; we would be three days rotting in a tomb.
But that is not our story; that is not our song. Instead, the bones can live, by the breath of God. Instead, death is not an end, by the word of Christ. No, we don’t go to an easy celebration, but to a deep appreciation for what Christ has done – is about to do – for us on the cross. We are humbled by this realization, and repentant that it is our rejection that has caused this pain.
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