As Christians called together to worship and serve, we have quite a history. We’ve had some glorious moments and some not-so-glorious moments. We should remember and repent of the times when we misinterpreted God’s will by endorsing slavery, forcing Indigenous people to accept Christ or subjugating women by saying they had no right to speak and lead. But we can also remember the Protestant Reformation seeking to address abuses of authority. We can celebrate the Confessing Church movement courageously standing up to Hitler in Nazi Germany and African American churches leading this country in a Civil Rights revolution. We’ve had low moments and high moments, dull moments and exciting moments, joyful moments and painful moments as a group of fallible human beings trying to be Christ’s body in the world. Today’s Pentecost passage tells the story of what we consider the birth of the church. Weary and mournful, the disciples gathered early in the morning for worship. A religious minority at the time, they were easily persecuted for their strange beliefs. They gathered for support, comfort and accountability. They would remain faithful, they promised each other during worship. They would not let the good news go unproclaimed. Pentecost Sunday is our chance to pause and celebrate the faithful who still gather, week after week, month after month, in our community and around the world, to meet the Spirit of Christ. You can find the rest of the commentary on our website. |
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