[RCL] Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30; Psalm 104:25-35, 37; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 or Acts 2:1-21; John 20:19-23 or John 7:37-39 It’s Pentecost. It’s also graduation season. It’s a time when valedictorians are crowned. We imagine valedictorians to be on their way to a lot of success. That is largely true, but maybe not in the…

[RCL]: Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30; Psalm 104:25-35, 37; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 or Acts 2:1-21; John 20:19-23 or John 7:37-3 What do you believe about heaven? According to polling in recent years, about 70% of Americans believe that heaven exists – and about the same number of Americans think they have an excellent chance of…

The disciples were afraid! Their world had come to an abrupt end on a Friday afternoon as their teacher, leader, and friend had died in shame outside the city walls. There was no good news as they scattered from the city in search of safety, security, and something that resembled sanity. The preaching and teaching,…

Picture it: The disciples are gathered for worship, as was their custom. They’ve brought with them some bread and some wine, and perhaps some olives or a few pieces of broiled fish. They arrive at the specified location, greet one another with the kiss of peace, and then begin their simple and intimate worship service….

The story of the coming of the Holy Spirit in an almost visible form – a form that was perceived by the senses – is one of the most dramatic stories in the New Testament. Ten days have passed since the One who had filled their lives with meaning, then with unbearable sorrow and bewilderment…

The family arrived on a warm June day: a mother, grandmother, and five children ranging in ages from 17 to 3. As they scrambled out of the van, it was apparent just how tired they were. Some time ago this family had traveled from a refugee camp in Cameroon to Darfur, Sudan. There they caught…

“Each one heard them speaking in the native language of each…” (Acts 2:6) It is the custom at some churches on the Day of Pentecost to arrange for a simultaneous reading of one or the other of today’s Scripture lessons in multiple languages. Depending upon the linguistic gifts of members of the parish community, for…

In John’s Gospel this morning, the gift of the Holy Spirit to Jesus’ disciples seems to be part and parcel of their initial experience of Jesus’ resurrection. If our worship schedule in church followed John’s picture, we would be celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit on Easter Sunday evening. The fact that we don’t…

It was Pentecost at Trinity Church. The priest arrived only to find the altar guild uncertain what color frontal should be placed on the altar. “Why, red, of course,” the puzzled priest announced. There was a quick flurry of activity, with several people changing the hangings and the frontal. People even came from the pews…