Pentecost, also known as Whitsunday, celebrates the birthday of the Christian Church, when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles in the Book of Acts.

Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection (and 10 days after his Ascension), the apostles were gathered together, probably confused and contemplating their future mission and purpose. On the day of Pentecost, a flame rested upon the shoulders of the apostles and they began to speak in tongues (languages), by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, Pentecost is a time for many Catholics and other Christians to celebrate two important realities: the Holy Spirit and the Church. Pentecost has been a very important feast in The Catholic and Orthodox Churches because it celebrates the official beginning of the Church.  Pentecost always falls on a Sunday, fifty days after Easter Sunday (including Easter Sunday), and occurs during mid-to-late Spring in the Northern hemisphere, and mid-to-late autumn in the Southern hemisphere.

Pentecost is also the Greek name for Jewish Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), falling on the 50th day of Passover. It was during the Feast of Weeks that the first fruits of the grain harvest were presented (see Deuteronomy 16:9). New Testament references to Pentecost, in all likelihood, refer to the Jewish feast and not the Christian feast, which gradually developed during and after that period.

In the English speaking countries, Pentecost is also known as Whitsunday. The origin of this name may come from the Old English word for “White Sunday,” referring to the practice of baptizing converts clothed in white robes on the Sunday of Pentecost. In the English tradition, new converts were baptized on Easter, Pentecost, and All Saints Day, primarily because people went to church these days.

The Season After Pentecost is essentially the part of the year that is left  after everything has been accounted for. The name of this season varies widely from church to church—it can be called Kingdomtide or Ordinary Time. In most churches, the general theme of Scripture readings and sermons concerns the church’s mission in the world.

The Season After Pentecost begins on the day after Pentecost. In the western Church, it ends on the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent. In the eastern Church, it ends on November 14th.

The main holy days, in the Western Church tradition, during this season are:

• Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost, the celebration of the Holy Trinity.
• The Transfiguration is the commemoration of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ on Mount Tabor. In the Revised Common Lectionary, it is observed on the Last Sunday After the Epiphany.
• All Saints’ Day, November 1st, the Christian Memorial Day on which all who died for their testimony of Jesus are remembered. Many American churches use All Saints’ Day as an educational, Christian alternative to Halloween. The practice of having a harvest festival to avoid Halloween is ironic, since that puts us right back into the pagan things we were doing our best to avoid. The word Halloween itself is a contraction of All Hallows’ Evening, or All Hallows’ Eve, which is the original Christian term for All Saints’ Eve. (‘Hallow’ is an old word for ‘saint’ or ‘holy…’ “Our Father, Who art in Heaven… you get the picture!)

I hope your summer and fall, the year’s last spectacular display of nature, will be happy, healthy, full of joy… and peace.

Lent is once again upon us and I'd like to invite you to a period of spiritual renewal. Lent is a time to hunker down and take a good look at ourselves, a time to intensify our living for God, a time to pay particular attention to our faith. For centuries, the Church has set aside the 40 days of Lent as a solemn time to help us become more faithful Christians through the disciplines of prayer, penitence, self-examination, fasting, worship, study and service. Lent is often called a journey. That means that at the end of Lent, we should expect to find ourselves somewhere different from where we started. 

The season of Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday, invites us to go on a 40 day spiritual journey, with the story of Jesus’ ministry as our guide. His story in scripture challenges us to wrestle with his teachings, meditate on his presence, receive his healing, and try our faith in the face of his death. Lent is meant to lead us to a place of struggle. In that struggle, there lives a divine hope that we might grasp God’s meaning for us, and come to offer ourselves in union with Christ’s offering for us. 

Traditionally, Christians choose something to give up during Lent. Their sacrifice is a response to the sacrifice Jesus made when he was crucified on the cross. Their sacrifices seem trivial in comparison to the ones Jesus made.

What kind of things do you give up for Lent? Perhaps you take a sabbatical from Facebook or not consuming a certain type of food. Are those meaningful things to give up for Lent; or just random things you’re challenging yourself to live without?

Here are some ideas for a more meaningful Lent sacrifice:

• Give up technology for 1 hour each day (not counting when you're in bed!). The goal is attainable and the result will be more time with family. Use that time to strengthen bonds with family or friends face to face.
• Let go of negative feelings. Release those feelings or anger, jealousy or fear. Find positive ways to re-establish your mindset. Is it easy? No. Is it meaningful? Absolutely!
• Give out a little of your heart by starting a pay it forward chain. Once a week (or once a day), do something nice for somebody. Order and pay for a hot apple pie for the car behind you in the drive thru. Offer to help someone with their groceries. Compliment someone on their appearance. They may need that positive recognition to get to a happier place.
• Give up the word “LOVE”. During the season of Lent give up this four letter word and replace it with action. When Lent season is over, after Easter Sunday, the word love will have a more substantial meaning and those around will have a better image of what love actually means to you.
• Attend a Taizé Evening Prayer service. Diamond Hill UMC conducts this service, Thursdays from 730-8p. This candlelight service is a peaceful half-hour of meditative singing, scripture reading, silence and prayer.
  

Find a way to make your sacrifice unique and meaningful. Look outside the box and into your heart. Find a way to peel off any old dead layers of yourself and replace those layers with a fresh new and rejuvenated perspective.

May God’s transforming grace be with you in this holy and blessed Lenten season, and in the end, may you find yourself at the destination of more abundant life.

Peace.

As Christmas comes to an end for another year, we approach a time called Epiphany. What is Epiphany? What does it mean?

In western Christian tradition, Epiphany is the climax of the Advent/Christmas Season and the Twelve Days of Christmas, which are usually counted from the evening of December 25th until the morning of January 6th, which is the Twelfth Day.

Although the word epiphany originally meant "appearance" or "manifestation," we commonly use the word epiphany to describe a revelation or an "aha" moment.  The coming of Christ was first revealed to the Jewish world through the shepherds who heard the angel's announcement and ran to the stable to see for themselves.

Through the Magi (wise men), Christ was revealed to the non-Jewish (Gentile) world.

"The Wise Ones came and left together. They endured the darkness and found the Light... not alone but in community. And it is in community that we find the collective wisdom and resources to know the Light of all people that shines in the darkness and has not been overcome by it." - - James Schwarzlose

Light plays a big part in this time called Epiphany. Isaiah 60 describes the effect that light has upon us. In the Gospel of John, John makes statements about Jesus as the light of the world. Light brings people together and attracts people from afar. It takes a great deal of effort to remain in darkness once light has been offered; yet many folks do. Why is that?

"God's light shines upon us individually so that we can live into the beauty and wholeness in which we were created. God wants us to be whole because it makes a difference in creation; as we become more whole, so does our world. Gathered in communities, our unique beauties and talents are shared, magnified and extended beyond our individual reach." - - Susan Baker-Lehne

Epiphany is now observed as a time of focusing on the mission of the church in reaching others. It is also a time of focusing on Christian fellowship, especially in healing the divisions of prejudice and bigotry that we all too often create between God’s children.

Following the light of God is a journey of faith. We often feel that we don't know where our journey will lead us, and we certainly don't know what we'll find along the way. We do, however, know that God goes before us, and with us, and that the journey will be worth our while.

In this season of Epiphany, may we all realize God's love for us, and may God's Word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. (Psalm 119:105)

This past Sunday, we began the Season of Advent. Advent is the season of four Sundays of preparation before Christmas. Advent is derived from Latin and means “coming” or “arrival.”

Advent is probably my favorite season of the Church Year. I love it so much because it is the time of year that speaks most to my heart. Advent is a time of waiting–not so much for Christmas as it is for the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom. Deep within me, I know my soul is waiting: waiting for friends and loved ones to be healed from sickness or affliction; waiting for fighting to end in many countries around the world; waiting for us to learn how to care for the poor, the homeless and the elderly; waiting for us to be a people who accept all.

Advent is a time of solemn, holy waiting. It’s also a time of expectant joy because we know Christ will come. Christ has come before on Christmas and given us new life. We anticipate the joy that will one day be ours.

I also find worship during Advent to be particularly moving. The traditional prayers and scripture lessons speak to the hopes and dreams planted in our hearts by the God who seeks to save us.

I hope and pray that you will have a truly blessed and holy Advent season.

Peace.

Pentecost, also known as Whitsunday, celebrates the birthday of the Christian Church, when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles in the Book of Acts.

Fifty days after Jesus' resurrection (and 10 days after his Ascension), the apostles were gathered together, probably confused and contemplating their future mission and purpose. On the day of Pentecost, a flame rested upon the shoulders of the apostles and they began to speak in tongues (languages), by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, Pentecost is a time for many Catholics and other Christians to celebrate two important realities: the Holy Spirit and the Church. Pentecost has been a very important feast in The Catholic and Orthodox Churches because it celebrates the official beginning of the Church.  Pentecost always falls on a Sunday, fifty days after Easter Sunday (including Easter Sunday), and occurs during mid-to-late Spring in the Northern hemisphere, and mid-to-late autumn in the Southern hemisphere.

Pentecost is also the Greek name for Jewish Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), falling on the 50th day of Passover. It was during the Feast of Weeks that the first fruits of the grain harvest were presented (see Deuteronomy 16:9). New Testament references to Pentecost, in all likelihood, refer to the Jewish feast and not the Christian feast, which gradually developed during and after that period.

In the English speaking countries, Pentecost is also known as Whitsunday. The origin of this name may come from the Old English word for "White Sunday," referring to the practice of baptizing converts clothed in white robes on the Sunday of Pentecost. In the English tradition, new converts were baptized on Easter, Pentecost, and All Saints Day, primarily because people went to church these days.

The Season After Pentecost is essentially the part of the year that is left  after everything has been accounted for. The name of this season varies widely from church to church—it can be called Kingdomtide or Ordinary Time. In most churches, the general theme of Scripture readings and sermons concerns the church’s mission in the world.

The Season After Pentecost begins on the day after Pentecost. In the western Church, it ends on the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent. In the eastern Church, it ends on November 14th.

The main holy days, in the Western Church tradition, during this season are:

• Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost, the celebration of the Holy Trinity.
• The Transfiguration is the commemoration of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ on Mount Tabor. In the Revised Common Lectionary, it is observed on the Last Sunday After the Epiphany.
• All Saints’ Day, November 1st, the Christian Memorial Day on which all who died for their testimony of Jesus are remembered. Many American churches use All Saints’ Day as an educational, Christian alternative to Halloween. The practice of having a harvest festival to avoid Halloween is ironic, since that puts us right back into the pagan things we were doing our best to avoid. The word Halloween itself is a contraction of All Hallows’ Evening, or All Hallows' Eve, which is the original Christian term for All Saints’ Eve. (‘Hallow’ is an old word for ‘saint’ or 'holy...' "Our Father, Who art in Heaven... you get the picture!)

I hope your summer and fall, the year's last spectacular display of nature, will be happy, healthy, full of joy... and peace.

We've observed and celebrated Holy Week. We celebrated Easter this past Sunday; but, now what? Is that all there is to Easter? Not by a long shot!The Season of Easter is a glorious celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead on Easter morning, following his crucifixion and death on Good Friday, and it continues through the next fifty (50) days until Pentecost. The major festival during this season is the Ascension of Christ into heaven, which takes place forty days after Easter.

The resurrection of Jesus, who died so that all people might live, shows the world that he triumphed over sin and death. By rising from the dead, he freed all people from their sins, so that they could have rich and full lives now on earth and through eternity with God in heaven.

Easter is the major season of celebration during the Christian church year. It is a time for special emphasis on Holy Communion, as we receive the body and blood of  Christ, sharing the miracle of new birth through him.

The last day of the Easter season is Pentecost. Today, in many Christian churches, the color for Pentecost is red; however, in older English traditions, the traditional color for Pentecost, or 'Whitsunday', is white.

On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit arrives to be with us, and that Spirit sends a fresh wave of joy. On that day, the question of 'now what?' is answered with fire - go tell the Good News, heal, teach, serve, and love! The Holy Spirit will bring the results.

This Easter season, may you find you the joy of the Resurrection, and may you have a deeper communion with God and with your neighbors.

Peace.

Dear Friends,

We are now in the season of Lent, the 40 days that lead up to Easter. Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, which means “spring.” It is a preparation for Easter, when Christ springs from the grave, and new life blooms on the earth; when we finally feel the warmth and know, in body and soul, what it is we’ve been looking forward to.

Life is deeper and richer when we experience its seasons. As Christians, we profess that our life is in Christ, and so we live into the seasons of his life. In Lent, by praying, fasting, remembering the vows of our baptism, and through repentance and fellowship, we strengthen the connection of our life to Christ’s. We remember all these things that Christ did when he walked with us through the days that led up to his death and resurrection. In this way we continue to walk with him.

Below are some suggestions to help you deepen your experience of walking with Christ during Lent:

• set aside some time for reflection and prayer, perhaps in the morning, at lunch or before you sleep;
• set aside time each day to read from your Bible – specifically, why not read the Gospel of Matthew, maybe a chapter/day, for the remainder of Lent? The passages will connect you to the path that Christ took through life;
• set aside some money every day – maybe the money you would spend on a cappuccino or a latte – then you can take the money you’ve saved and donate it to a relief organization, like the Red Cross, or Water.org. God knows there are places in the world who need the help – any help – that one can offer!
• make a special donation to support the church of your choice;
• engage in daily confession or prayer. Lent is a time to acknowledge that we often act against our own best judgement. It’s also time to remember that God is merciful and will not withhold forgiveness.

May God assist you in your growth and strengthen you in whatever Lenten discipline you might undertake. I wish you a holy and blessed Lent and, that in the end, you will find yourself at a destination of more abundant life.

Peace.

We are now in the season after Pentecost, also called Ordinary Time, which begins the day after Pentecost and ends the day before the First Sunday of Advent (28 Sundays). This season of the Christian year is also referred to as “Kingdomtide” (in some Protestant churches), when we live out and explore our call to discipleship and what it means to live in the Kingdom of God. The color associated with this season (and usually the color of the altar/pulpit cloths) is green, signifying growth, new life and hope.

The Tree of Life is sometimes used as a symbol for this time of year. Christ is the tree; the branches are the church; the leaves represent the people; and the berries signify the fruit of life.

May this season be a time of reflection; a time for charity, and a time for bringing the Good News to a world in need.