Greetings on the Seventh Sunday of Easter, the Sunday between Ascension Day and Pentecost, a Sunday where we prepare to be leaders of God’s work in the world.
Our invitation to worship declares that Jesus was raised to heaven and that the Holy Spirit will come to not leave us without comfort and give us strength. Our first lesson from the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of Jesus’ ascension and the angels telling the Disciples that they are the leaders of the faith now. The psalmist sings a song telling us that through time God has made God’s people safe and successful even when it doesn’t look like they would survive. The reading from the first letter of Peter offers a reflection that describes the life the faithful should expect to live – both troublesome and as those oppressed and rewarded by faith in Jesus. The reading from John’s gospel offers a theological description of the disciples being endowed to be leaders of the faith.
Our faith and the practice of faith help us be sustained when we remember each day is a new day where God is already present and that we have the skills we need to excel in the life we are called to live. Even when we feel like we’re alone and afraid in the world, we are assured that we will receive the Holy Spirit like Jesus, and that Jesus will return again. Our scripture provides the story of the disciples being commissioned by the coming of the Holy Spirit AND by Jesus’ ascension to heaven. From that story and commissioning the Disciples become leaders in the faith and we are made leaders by the same promises so we can carry God’s hope to the future.
How do we build a community that is aware of the Holy Spirit and is as diverse as the community in Acts? To whom can we relate the promise of unlimited potential found only in a relationship with God through Christ and the Holy Spirit? I invite your comments,
Les+
Lessons: Acts 1:6-14; Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36; 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11; John 17:1-11
Sermon link: https://audiomack.com/fatherles-2/song/easter-7-sermon-1
