A Message from Pastor Kaji

Dear Church:

We had a fantastic celebration of mothering on Sunday – including the blueprint for mothering care that God lays out for us as described in Revelation 3. If you haven’t had a chance to see the service or sermon, I highly recommend your taking a look on YouTube.

This week, we start a new chapter in the liturgical calendar with Pentecost Sunday. This is when we celebrate God’s official gift of the Holy Spirit to the church in its earliest days. As you prepare for worship, I encourage you to take a look at the entirety of Acts chapter 2. On Sunday, I’d like to explore the intimacy in community. What would it look like truly to understand someone else? What would it feel like to be fully heard?

We will explore this and so much more in worship on Sunday. Wear your Holy Spirit flame colors (if you can) and I can’t wait to see you.

Pax Christi,

Pastor Kaji

SCRIPTURE

Acts 2:1–18 (Year B, p. 194):

1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place. 2 And there came suddenly from heaven a sound like the sweeping of a mighty wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared among them divided tongues, as of fire, and one rested on each of them. 4 And all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in other tongues just as the Spirit gave them to speak.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem devout Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 Now at this sound the crowd gathered and was confused because each heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astounded, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how do we hear, each in our own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and those who live in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjacent to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs, we hear them speaking in our own tongues about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and questioning to one another, saying, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Judeans and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you all, and attend to my speech. 15 For these persons are not drunk as you suppose, it is only the third hour [nine o’clock] in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: