May 23 (Pentecost)

I talked a bit today about Pentecost as the birthday of the church, and how it ties in with Shavuot (the Jewish Feast of Weeks). Just as the Jewish people are defined by Torah (which is one of the themes of Shavuot), the church is defined by the Holy Spirit, received on Pentecost by the early church. Now no longer under the Torah, we are bound by the law of love written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

I also was thinking about Ruth (the book of Ruth is traditionally read on Shavuot, likely because of the harvest season parallel). Ruth as an outsider, a Moabite, not even legally allowed to convert to Judaism according to Nehemiah 13. However, God broke his own rules, so to speak, not only welcoming Ruth but giving her a place in history as an ancestor of David and Jesus. Who today does the church not accept? I didn't talk about this in church, because it was too much of a bunny trail, but it was on my thoughts during the week.

Oh, and I put the confessional song between the spoken portions of the confession liturgy. Actually worked pretty well.

I also ended the gathering with a quote from Tripp Fuller, a pastor in California, which I found through some twitter link that I can't find at this point, so it's unsourced but reprinted below.

Our Great Savior (Traditional)

Confession

Hopeful God,

You fulfilled the promise Jesus made
and sent the Holy Spirit to timid disciples,
giving birth to a bold new community
of inclusion, love, and grace.

We confess
that we have failed to embrace
the radical acceptance and community
that you call us into.

Forgive us for our exclusion,
our hopelessness,
our fear,
and our timidity.

Surprise us again
with your hope,
through the gift of your Spirit.

Amen.

Of Psalm 51 (Sojourn Music)

Assurance of Pardon

(Romans 5:1-2)

Since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
into this grace in which we now stand.

And we rejoice in the hope
of the glory of God.
And hope does not disappoint us,
because God has poured out his love
into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit,
whom he has given us.

Communion: Not Alone (Solomon's Porch)

"It is easy to get swept away by the vision of God’s dream for the world. Unlike the brokenness of the present, it is whole. Unlike the violence of the present, there is peace. Unlike, well, what is actual, something more is possible. The Holy Spirit is God’s continuous gift to the present that protests what is with what could be. She is the always-active agent of God’s coming. Life in the Spirit then, is one that dreams God’s dream during the day."

Open Skies (Claas P. Jambor)