In our Gospel this week, Jesus sends out 70 of his followers to go before him into ministry, and they come back rejoicing. In his instructions there is wisdom for our journey as well. For like the 70, we are also sent out into a mission field that is in our front yard, in our daily lives. The hazards, opportunities, challenges and blessings we encounter, deepen and shift our understanding of God and our love for his people. Come join us in worship and fellowship this Sunday!

Pentecost Sunday is the birthday of the church, the day we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples gathered in Jerusalem after the Ascension of Jesus. The Holy Spirit equips, empowers and directs us, both individually and as the Body of Christ. Our worship and our unity are sustained by the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit is how God dwells in our midst as we gather, proclaim the Word, and sing praises to our God and King. This Pentecost we have the added joy and honor at the 10:30 service, to welcome a new Christian into the family of God. Please come join us!

A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; …The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us. Acts 16: 14-15 And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. … I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. … And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. Revelations 21:10, 22-23, 22:5 Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. John 14:23 Abide with me… stay at my home… make our home with them... Not just a visit, not just an hour once a week, but dwelling, abiding day-in and day-out in the presence of God. Allowing the Holy Spirit to take up residence in the midst of our life, in our hearts and in our minds. This promise is the center of God’s promises to us.Immanuel, God is with us. So how do we live in the presence of God? It is the cry of David’s heart in Psalm 23, and it is a constant struggle for most of us in this extremely distracting, busy place we call home.

Welcome to Holy Week. Tonight at 7:30, we celebrate the evening of the Last Supper and also read about Passover. There will be foot washing for those who are willing, but it is entirely optional. The service starts in celebration, with the palms and purple still up from Palm Sunday, but the service ends in silence as the congregation helps to strip the palms while Altar guild strips the altar. Tomorrow is Good Friday. We have services at noon and 7:30 PM. It is a somber but meaningful marking of the Passion and death that saves us. It is a celebration of the self-sacrificing love of God breaking the power of sin, death and evil. Saturday night at 8 PM, we celebrate Easter Vigil. We light a new Paschal candle from a new fire, processed into the church, we hear more of the whole arc of redemption beginning with creation, we renew our baptismal vows, and then we celebrate with great joy the Resurrection! Sunday morning we celebrate Easter and Resurrection with joyful songs, Eucharist, and readings of the empty tomb. There will also be mimosas at each coffee hour and an egg hunt after the second service. It is my prayer that as much of our community as possible will gather to celebrate as much of this Holy Week as possible. This is our great celebration of the year. These events are the expression and basis of the love and hope that shapes and direct our lives. Please come join us! Maundy Thursday 7:30 PM Good Friday Noon & 7:30 PM Easter Vigil 8 PM Easter Morning 9 & 10:30 AM

Last week, our readings pointed to our need to repent. This week our readings are focused on God’s forgiveness. In our Gospel, we hear the story of the prodigal son and the forgiving father. It is a summary of God’s love for us, and the extent to which he will go, to extend grace, to forgive and to rejoice in our return. The purpose of the Incarnation is the redemption and reconciliation of mankind with the Triune God. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21