The Wilder View - June 2011

I was raised in a faith tradition that did not observe the full Christian calendar year…we celebrated Christmas and Easter, period.

As a Methodist, I have found richness in my spiritual journey by marking the different seasons of the year, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and Kingdom time.

I am sure when I was younger, I must have heard the word Pentecost, and probably my understanding of Pentecost was based on hearing about our brothers and sisters of the Pentecostal Church fellowship.

I know that from their descriptions, Pentecost seemed a bit scary. It wasn’t an accurate description of the celebration of Pentecost.

Pentecost as you may know is celebrated after Easter. Many people refer to Pentecost as the Birthday of the church. Not a specific church, but rather, the church universal, or the body of Christ. It is the day when a group of really scared followers of Christ encountered the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives and began to speak out and act as people who followed a resurrected Christ. The color for Pentecost is red to symbolize the tongues of fire that came upon the people in the upper room.

I invite you to join us for a Birthday Party on June 12! The theme is celebrating the life and work of our church as a part of the body of Christ. The preferred attire is red. Please invite all of your friends and family to the party!

Happy Birthday!
Pastor Kathleen