Pentecost Sunday

Dear Pali Pres,

This coming Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, one of my favorite days on the church calendar. I very much look forward to leading worship with Rev. Elizabeth Gibbs Zehnder, who will be our guest preacher (you can read more about Elizabeth below). No stranger to Pali Pres, Elizabeth will be sharing with us a message on God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. Be sure to wear red (the liturgical color for Pentecost) and join us for what is sure to be a festive Sunday.

The story of Pentecost can be found in Acts 2, when the disciples were visited by the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ ascension to heaven. The Spirit appeared to them in the form of “tongues of fire,” which enabled each disciple to speak in a different language, as the Spirit enabled them. This event has long been recognized as the birthday of the church. It was from this point—after receiving the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit that the disciples went out among the people and began spreading Jesus’ message, even to those who spoke other languages.

This Pentecost I encourage us all to take a moment to reflect on God’s gift of the Holy Spirit and to give thanks to God for the gift of his church. Empowered by the Spirit, may we continue the work of the first disciples and help spread Jesus’ message to all.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Matt