“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Dear St. John’s Family,
Last week was Ascension Day, forty days after Easter Day and one of the seven Principal Feasts of the Church, equal to Christmas Day and All Saints’ Day in the Calendar of the Church Year. The passage above recounts what Jesus told his disciples just before he was carried up into heaven. Ten days later on the Day of Pentecost, another of the Principal Feasts, the disciples were together when “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…” [Acts 2:3-4a]
Now here is the good news. When you were baptized, you too received the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, that gives us the gifts we need to do the work of Jesus Christ in our families, in our workplaces, in the community, in the world, and in St. John’s Church. This year a dedicated and faithful group of parishioners has planned a very special event honoring the Feast of Pentecost this Sunday, May 15, following all three services.
You have received information on the Ministry Roundup separately, but I want to take this opportunity to ask you to make an extra effort to be with your parish family this Sunday. The leaders of the many ministries in St. John’s will be on hand to talk with you about how the mission of Christ is served through their particular ministry. The event is intended to be fun, informal, and informative.
In his Letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul tells us: “The gifts he gave were…to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…” [Ephesians 4:11-12] The gifts given us by the Holy Spirit are indeed precious. I hope you will join us for the Ministry Roundup and explore ways of using those holy gifts to further the work we do in St. John’s Parish in the name of Christ. God bless you.
