The First Baptist Church of Redlands
T A PE S T R Y
May 2021
Wo v e n To g e t h e r I n L o v e : C o l o s s i a n s 2 : 2
Issue No. 5
The Spirit Celebrates! A Message from Pastor Shawn
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your human bodies also, through his Spirit that lives in you. (Romans 8:11 CEB)
As more and more of us are getting vaccinated, we are finding ourselves inching our way out of our houses. Grandparents are able to hold and kiss their grandchildren. Friends are able to play with one another, eat together, and maybe even hug each other. We are able to look at the possibility of traveling for a vacation in the not-too-distant future. We as a church family experienced this joy as we gathered together for an early morning Easter celebration on the lawn of the church. We look forward to other opportunities to meet inperson, including being able to meet again in our sanctuary on Pentecost Sunday, May 23. For me, gathering together on the lawn brought an unexpected sense of joy that I felt deep inside of me. I could definitely say that my spirit was celebrating! With each step we take out of the confines and sadness of COVID-19, our spirit stirs within us with life, freedom and joy. When we read in scripture about the Holy Spirit we read about experiences of the Spirit “falling” on people. These occasions seem to be filled with excitement and power. Though the word “celebrate” is not used, I think that there is an element of celebration that is taking place in the worship of God. I always think of Pentecost as a big party (in fact
some thought that the disciples had been drinking!). The Spirit has many functions as it interacts with our spirits. The Holy Spirit comforts us, walks along side us, empowers us, guides and directs us, reads our hearts and prays for us and even lets us know when we are going the wrong way or doing the wrong thing. But the Holy Spirit helps us to worship and celebrate, too! As we anticipate more and more in-person activities, let us allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into our “new” reality. May the Spirit enable us to be compassionate, effective, relevant, and open to what God wants to do with and through us from this time forward. May we celebrate new opportunities for ministry and growth, with doors opened for us by the Holy Spirit! May our spirits celebrate!
Grace and peace in Christ, Pastor Shawn
