“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” Acts 2:1-4

“When you strip it of everything else, Pentecost stands for power and life. That’s what came into the church when the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost.” (David Wilkerson,The Cross and the Switchblade)

There is a story about Mother Teresa, possibly apocryphal, in which it is told she had a dream about ministering to the sick and dying. When she expressed this dream to her superiors, they asked her, “How much money do you have?”  She responded, “Two pennies.”  They responded, “With two pennies you can’t do anything.” She replied, “With two pennies I can’t do anything, but with God and two pennies, I can do anything.” 

I love this story – whether true or not. And this is the sense that we should have about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the life of the church. With the Holy Spirit, leading us and guiding us, we seemingly can do anything. I know that sounds really easy and simple – and I am sure you will agree with me that the life of Mother Teresa was not simple and easy. But I imagine she had a faith that, over the years, taught her to trust the Lord with all her heart, mind and strength. It is a good lesson for us to remember this day – and every day.

Pastor Dave

“The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage. The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind. From where he sits enthroned he watches all the inhabitants of the earth—he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds. A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.” Psalm 33:10-17

“God’s people are called to rejoice in the LORD, and in nothing else. To rejoice in temporal comforts is dangerous, to rejoice in self is foolish, to rejoice in sin is fatal, but to rejoice in God is heavenly.” (Charles Spurgeon)

Peter Craigie, states this about Psalm 33: it is “a timely reminder of the essence of biblical theology” and that is what lies at the heart of the good news of all of scripture – God rules the world.  Seldom do we think about the world or try to understand it in terms other than in scientific terms.  Seldom do we think about international politics in terms of God’s will.  I mentioned this in a sermon last week… “When they (scientists) look at the elemental stuff of the universe, they realize that if even only a few of the many variables of the stuff of the universe were just a small degree different, then life would not be able to exist at all.  If particles weighed just a little bit more or less, forces were off by just the slightest degree, then nothing would be able to exist. 

Paul Davies, a professor of mathematical physics, as he ponders our universe, he concludes: “We, who are children of the universe…can nevertheless reflect on the nature of the same universe. What is (humanity) that we might be party to such privilege? I cannot believe that our existence in this universe is a mere quirk of fate, an accident of history, an incidental blip in the great cosmic drama. We are truly meant to be here.”

We are truly meant to be here in this world, created by G-d, daily reminded of the fragility of life in our suffering and loss, but sustained by a creator who loved us so much and continues to love us that He came to be with us in this world, and continues to be “our help and shield.” And so we need to “trust in his holy name.”

Pastor Dave