| Author | Message | ||
| Piecrust Registered user Username: Piecrust Post Number: 1 Registered: 5-2016 |
Last Sunday was Pentecost in our church. We are presently between priests at the moment, our last one having moved a couple of months ago, but we are ably assisted by a couple of visiting clergy, one retired, one from the next parish. One Sunday we combine with the Uniting Church, who are in the same boat as we are. Their pastor and our priest are married, so went off to their new parish together. The other Sunday, our lay assistants run the service. Our visiting priest could not come, but our lay assistant ably filled the breach. She asked one of our congregation to prepare a homily which was absolutely wonderful. Today truly is the "birthday of the church", when the timid apostles were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and spoke with power the word of God to thousands of people, which they heard in their own languages. He explained how Pentecost in the Jewish calendar came 50 days after Passover, and was the Festival of Weeks, the celebration of the first fruits, and the commemoration of the giving of the Mosaic Law. To attend this celebration, the city was full of visitors from all over the world. Acts 2:9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians..... together with Jews already living there. They heard the Gospel from the tongues of uneducated Galileans. How could this be? But just as God had given the law of Moses to the children of Israel, He now gave the Holy Spirit to the apostles, and some three thousand of the attending crowd were saved that day. And this is the bit that hit me between the eyes. The Holy Spirit indeed superseded the law of Moses. We are indeed sealed by Him. Praise God! | ||
| Piecrust Registered user Username: Piecrust Post Number: 2 Registered: 5-2016 |
I'm sorry. I'm new here, and this didn't go where I meant it to....... | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 15383 Registered: 12-2003  |
Piecrust, welcome to the forum! We look forward to getting to know you. Yes, I understand that "hit between the eyes" feeling. The Holy Spirit did, indeed, replace the law as the governing reality of the New Covenant. He reveals Jesus to us, the One who fulfilled the law of Moses, and He applies God's word to our lives and helps us understand it. We now relate directly to the living, triune God, not to the shadow of the law. Amazing! Colleen (Message edited by Colleentinker on May 17, 2016) | ||
| Mjcmcook Registered user Username: Mjcmcook Post Number: 1975 Registered: 2-2011  |
Piecrust~ ~~~WELCOME~~~ to the Forum (^_^) It is nice to see you here~ I look forward to reading more of your posts and getting to know you~ ~mj~ |
