Pastor's Challenger Article - May 2026
On Sunday, May 24th, we will celebrate Pentecost Sunday. Most scholars tell us that around the fourth century, the church observed Pentecost as the time to celebrate both the Ascension of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit. In time, however, these two events came to be celebrated on separate Sundays. Pentecost comes from the Greek word ‘penetekoste’ which literally means fiftieth day. If you count 50 days from Easter Sunday, which we celebrated on April 5 of this year, then we would come to May 24 on the calendar.
This is called Pentecost Sunday; often referred to simply as the birthday of the church. Before Jesus ascended in heaven, he told his disciples to go to Jerusalem and to prepare themselves to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, the advocate that would enable them to continue the ministry he started. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would fill them with such power and boldness that they would do even ‘greater works’ than him. That’s a pretty bold statement by Jesus!
My father-in-law was a retired United Methodist minister and served 50 years in the local church. Early in my own ministry, he would often share bits of wisdom he amassed over the years. One time he said to me, “Gary, if I were asked to serve a church and given the opportunity to choose between two offers; the one church that has a great structure and administration but without any Spirit and the other church that has a so-so structure but with lots of Spirit, I would without hesitation take the church that is full of Spirit.”
Of course, you and I know that the ideal church would be one that has a well-oiled structure and also consists of people empowered by the Holy Spirit. Yet it’s important to keep in mind that structure alone, by itself, will never grow a church.
So how does one receive and grow in God’s Spirit? Here we need to remember that Jesus told his disciples to go and prepare themselves to receive the gift of God’s Spirit; that it would take intentionality and receptivity on their part.
And so it does with us as well. Today when you and I take our wireless device to our friend’s house, we will ask them if we can have their “Router Code” so that we can type it in our device into order to hook up to the internet. We know that God doesn’t give us an external access code to receive God’s Spirit. The ‘point of contact’ to receive the Holy Spirit is inside the human heart, a heart that is open and receptive.
I hope to see you on Pentecost Sunday. You don’t need to bring your wireless device and nor will we be providing you a router code. I invite you to just come with an open and receptive heart and we have Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit will connect us to a power that changes the world.
Grace & Peace,
Gary
On Sunday, May 24th, we will celebrate Pentecost Sunday. Most scholars tell us that around the fourth century, the church observed Pentecost as the time to celebrate both the Ascension of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit. In time, however, these two events came to be celebrated on separate Sundays. Pentecost comes from the Greek word ‘penetekoste’ which literally means fiftieth day. If you count 50 days from Easter Sunday, which we celebrated on April 5 of this year, then we would come to May 24 on the calendar.
This is called Pentecost Sunday; often referred to simply as the birthday of the church. Before Jesus ascended in heaven, he told his disciples to go to Jerusalem and to prepare themselves to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, the advocate that would enable them to continue the ministry he started. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would fill them with such power and boldness that they would do even ‘greater works’ than him. That’s a pretty bold statement by Jesus!
My father-in-law was a retired United Methodist minister and served 50 years in the local church. Early in my own ministry, he would often share bits of wisdom he amassed over the years. One time he said to me, “Gary, if I were asked to serve a church and given the opportunity to choose between two offers; the one church that has a great structure and administration but without any Spirit and the other church that has a so-so structure but with lots of Spirit, I would without hesitation take the church that is full of Spirit.”
Of course, you and I know that the ideal church would be one that has a well-oiled structure and also consists of people empowered by the Holy Spirit. Yet it’s important to keep in mind that structure alone, by itself, will never grow a church.
So how does one receive and grow in God’s Spirit? Here we need to remember that Jesus told his disciples to go and prepare themselves to receive the gift of God’s Spirit; that it would take intentionality and receptivity on their part.
And so it does with us as well. Today when you and I take our wireless device to our friend’s house, we will ask them if we can have their “Router Code” so that we can type it in our device into order to hook up to the internet. We know that God doesn’t give us an external access code to receive God’s Spirit. The ‘point of contact’ to receive the Holy Spirit is inside the human heart, a heart that is open and receptive.
I hope to see you on Pentecost Sunday. You don’t need to bring your wireless device and nor will we be providing you a router code. I invite you to just come with an open and receptive heart and we have Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit will connect us to a power that changes the world.
Grace & Peace,
Gary
Proudly powered by Weebly