“In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.”
In this season of Easter, during worship, we have been reading the book of Acts, the story of the early church following Jesus’ ascension. In Acts chapter two, we hear of the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit filled the disciples in Jerusalem and then sent them out to do ministry in Jesus’ name. Throughout the rest of the book of Acts, we hear of the Holy Spirit’s work, not just among Jesus’ disciples but among Paul and Stephen, Tabitha and Barnabas. If Acts were a movie, the Holy Spirit would be the star for the Holy Spirit is the One who empowers the people of God to speak and to act, to serve and to love. That is just as true today as it was two thousand years ago.
“We, the people of God, are the church.”
We, the people of God, are the church. The church is not primarily a building, an institution, a non-profit, or even a community center. Filled with the Holy Spirit, the church is the people of God living out their lives, following Jesus, loving, serving, seeking peace with justice. Now, does the building, the institution, the non-profit, the community center help us with our mission as the church? Sure! We use the building to gather. The institution offers support so that we train and call pastors. Our non-profit status helps us serve in the community. That we function as a kind of community center is central to who we are at Grace. But if all that fell away, the church would remain because the church is the people of God.
We, the church, were filled with the Holy Spirit at baptism. You may remember the words we pray whenever we lay on hands at baptism and then at confirmation: We give you thanks, O God, that through water and the Holy Spirit you give your daughters and sons new birth, cleanse them from sin, and raise them to eternal life. Sustain this child with the gift of your Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever. Amen.
Because we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can do the things God calls us to do. We each individually possess our own strengths and abilities, but as a whole, the church can do the work of God together. As the church changes, especially as some of the institution strips away, I imagine each of us will be challenged to lead and serve among us in new ways. Because the Holy Spirit is the star of the church, because the Holy Spirit is the One who empowers us, we are fully capable ministers just as we are!
“ I invite you to pray about and think about how God may be calling you to serve and lead.”
There is always ministry to do here at Grace. There are always opportunities to serve and lead. I invite you to pray about and think about how God may be calling you to serve and lead. In the next couple months, there are many and various ways you could do that, both simple and complex.
- Help with the church landscaping/John Erickson or Jim Spitler
- Volunteer with Vacation Bible School (June 4-8)/Linda Schwall
- Preach at Sunday morning worship/Pastor Sarah
- Volunteer with Heat Respite in the kitchen or in the hall (beginning June 11)/Solveig Muus
- Volunteer with the Grace Room/Solveig Muus
- Help Lester and the property team with a property project/Lester Andrews
- Lead Faith in Motion during Sunday morning worship/Pastor Sarah
- Provide special music during the traditional worship service/Simon Pick
If you feel called to serve or lead in any of these capacities, please talk with the person whose name appears after the opportunity. If you would like to have a conversation about other ways to serve or lead, please talk with me.
We are the church together!
Pastor Sarah