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Stream Audio Worship AboveNote that we may not be able to include the hymns in pre-recorded services - thank you for your understanding. Covered under ONE LICENSE: #400013-P When the Floodgates Open
Sunday, May 23rd, 2021 || Pentecost Sunday Pastor Christy Wright Yes, we are meeting outdoors at 9:30 AM, this Sunday in front of the Church! For full details, please read below in the Community Announcements Section. If you are unable to join us in person, we invite you to light a candle at 9:30 AM and join us in prayer online or over the phone for a pre-recorded service. Audio worship, including the prelude and postlude, prayers, and the sermon is available at https://georgewhitefieldumc.weebly.com/worship-services or over the phone at (978) 990-5000, access code 719365#. Just dial in, enter the access code on your keypad, and you will hear the service begin with music. Note that we may not be able to include the hymns in pre-recorded services - thank you for your understanding. Announcements Opening Hymn Scripture Reading - Acts 2:1-13 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 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 and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound, the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphlyia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs - in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” Sermon I don’t know about you, but the past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. Last week, the CDC made a significant announcement regarding the wearing of masks, and just a few days later, Gov. Baker announced the official reopening of the State of Massachusetts at the end of this month. In the midst of all of this information, I’m left in a haze: is this really happening? Are we actually, truly, nearing the end of the pandemic? Are we on the other side of this thing? As I reflect on the past year, it feels so disorienting to believe that yes, indeed, we are truly beginning to see a new day dawning. But the evidence is right in front of me. While I was on vacation this past week, I had the joy of reconnecting with friends and family, some of whom I hadn’t seen for over a year: some whose toddlers had crossed the threshold into school-aged kids, and others who adopted new pets or added an addition to their home. A lot had changed over the past year, and though we had all kept in touch over the phone or through cards and letters, we still had so much to share with one another. We were all fully vaccinated, and as we took off our masks, we realized what we had been missing all this time. I met up with a friend for nearly five hours at a local restaurant, where we dined outside and shared our greatest joys of the past year and our most heartbreaking moments. We also visited with family friends twice while I was home, and each time, we were there for over three hours. I can’t neglect to mention the hours and hours of conversation I shared with my parents and family - over coffee, over meals, and just while doing laundry or dishes. It was like a floodgate had opened - a new line of communication that had been muffled by face coverings and marred by distance was now crystal clear. I think we are, indeed, on the other side of the pandemic. The questions, the doubts, the fears - none of them are erased, but perhaps they are eased a bit. The tragedy, the pain, the suffering, the loss - none of it is forgotten, but perhaps it hurts just a little bit less as we look toward the future. As we celebrate Pentecost today, we are also celebrating the inauguration of a new day. Just as the Holy Spirit blew through the early Church of the first century, and startled and confused the followers of Jesus, so too, we can expect a bit of a haze as we enter this new chapter. We will still have hesitations, questions, and uncertainties about how we go about the future. But the best part is that we know that we can trust the answers in the wind, the Holy Spirit blowing in the wind. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t just give us guidance. The Holy Spirit opens up lines of communication within and among us, and between God and us. As we begin to think about starting to remove our masks, the Holy Spirit nudges us to nourish our relationships once more, to invest in one another and within our community. And the Holy Spirit breathes life into us as well. This year has been a really, really difficult year for so many reasons, and at many points, I know this year felt more like death than life. But God does not leave us tired and weary, and God has never left our side. No, be still, and feel God’s presence, for God breathes new life into us each and every day. As we inhale, we breathe in God’s great love and the gift of the Holy Spirit, & as we exhale, we have the opportunity to breathe God’s life & love into all that surrounds us. What a gift. So whoever you are, whatever you are facing, know that you are not alone. God’s great love was made evident from the beginning of time when the Spirit blew over the waters of creation, and God’s great love is known now, even and especially in the dawning of a new day. May we recognize the answers blowing in the wind, knowing that the Holy Spirit is guiding us even now. May we nourish the relationships that give us life through God’s great love, and may we take heart that even in the midst of death, life is sprouting up all around us, through the power of Jesus’ resurrection. Amen. Hymn of Meditation Benediction And now, may the peace of the Lord Christ go with you wherever God may send you; may God guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm; may God bring you home rejoicing at the wonders God has shown you; may God bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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