Worship Preview - Pentecost! June 5, 2022

First United Methodist Church

This Weekend: Sunday at 10:30am“Pentecost –Winds of the Spirit Among Us!”Scriptures:John 15:26 – 16:15. Romans 8:22-27, John 20:19-23…Pastor Christopher Eshelman preaching.

Sunday we will celebrate Pentecost. 50 days after Easter, the event we call Pentecost happened during the Jewish festival of Shavuot, which celebrated the first fruits of the harvest. Traditionally, we read the familiar Acts 2 story on this day, but this year we will hear from John’s Gospel and we’ll visit Paul’s letter to the Romans to think about the Holy Spirit, not just in a story from long ago, but working among us even here, even now. In John’s Gospel, Jesus promises the Advocate, the Holy Spirit will come and continued to teach and guide the disciples and all who follow Jesus, just as he has done.

Faith is a journey and Christ’s Holy Spirit continues to lead us. As we’ve looked through the stories of the Gospel of John during Lent and Easter, we’ve seen a variety of people on that journey. The woman at the well in John 4 and the man born blind in John 9 both illustrate a gradual coming to understand. They encounter a man, they come to consider him a prophet, gradually they begin to understand and proclaim that he is the messiah. At Easter we celebrated the resurrection – yet even Jesus' closest disciples took time to take this in, and even longer to begin proclaiming it. We don’t have a single story of the coming of the Spirit, we have multiple stories that teach and guide and call. If we are an Easter people, celebrating the risen Christ – we must also be a Pentecost people – filled with the Holy Spirit and sharing the good news with the world. We will celebrate the winds of the Spirit this Sunday with pinwheels, a symbol of the Holy Spirit moving among us. You are invited to join in the fun and take the next step on the journey of faith.

Scripture speaks to us at every stage of life and faith. God is love. Sin and death have already been defeated through the life of Christ, and yet our journey towards understanding - and more importantly participating in - that victory continues. You are invited, coming just as you are with your questions, doubts and hopes - and to experience the transformative love and grace of Christ - which makes us whole.First time considering attending? - see our web site for answers to common questions and more information about what to expect at First UMC.www.firstumcfsks.org/newvisitors

This Week:Wednesday, June 8, 5:30pmFeeding Families in His Name– this weekly free meal is available to everyone without obligation.