Inviting The Holy Spirit

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God the father sent us his Son to live among us.  Christ, the Son gave up his life so that we might live forever. After the resurrection God, the Holy Spirit, worked through the disciples leading, teaching and proclaiming the Kingdom of God.  With the advent of the Holy Spirit, we are reminded of the words of our Lord when he said, “God authorized and commanded me to commission you.  Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you.  I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (The Message – E. H. Peterson)

The book of Acts is an account of the arrival of the Holy Spirit and how the Apostles were led by the spirit as they told the story of Jesus.  Eugene Peterson in his introduction to the book of Acts in The Message said, “The story of Jesus doesn’t end with Jesus.  It continues in the lives of those who believe in him.”  So, I invite you to join me in the months to come as we look a bit deeper into the Acts of the Apostles as found in the book of Acts.  Together we will invite the Holy Spirit to lead us and work with us as we explore the scriptures.

You can participate in this search for truth by adding you thoughts, comments, understandings and questions in the comment section below.  Realizing that the Holy Spirit is at work in each of us as we share our minds, I employ you to go to God in prayer with an open mind seeking the resourcefulness of the Holy Spirit.

Next time “Acts In the Beginning.”

For Unto Us a Child is Born

More than seven hundred years before the birth of our Lord, a man called by God to speak His truth to the children of Israel walked among his fellow captives and announced:

A child will be born to us.
A son will be given to us.
He will rule over us.
And he will be called
Wonderful Adviser and Mighty God.
He will also be called Father Who Lives Forever
and Prince Who Brings Peace.
⁷ The authority of his rule will continue to grow.
The peace he brings will never end.
He will rule on David’s throne
and over his kingdom.
He will make the kingdom strong and secure.
His rule will be based on what is fair and right.
It will last forever.
The Lord’s great love will make sure that happens.
He rules over all.
Isaiah 9:6-7 (The New International Version)

This prophetic message could have very well been lost in the pages of scripture if it were not for another man sent by God who used his ability to create inspiring music.  The artist read the prophet’s words and set them to music so beautiful that it continues to live year after year in performance during the most holy days of the Christian year.  Who among us can read these words and not hear the melodious tunes    composed by George Frideric Handel,   “And the Glo-ry,  the Glo-ry of the Lord,” which rings out once again this  Advent season.  Hal-le-lu-jah,    Hal-le-lu-jah,                        Hal-le- – - lu – —jah!

Merry Christmas friends.

Giving Thanks

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Just what are we doing when we give thanks?  We are acknowledging a benefit, favor, or the like, expressed in words thoughts or actions.

November is the month of thanksgiving.  Whenever possible we gather with family and friends to celebrate the national day of thanksgiving.  The great feast we enjoy is often thought to be modeled after that first day of celebration by the Pilgrims.  For as long as I can remember my mother retrieved her lovely wax candles of a Pilgrim woman and Pilgrim man and reverently placed them on the dining table for all to be reminded from whence this special day began. They were never lighted.  They just decorated the table so we could enjoy them each year. Today they grace our table each year as a reminder of that first Thanksgiving Day and also of my mother’s devotion to her ancestors who started a national tradition of giving thanks.

As a child who loved the Pilgrim story, little did I know that one day I would learn I was descended from William Brewster, the first religious leader,  who traveled with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower to the new world here in America.   We get our modern Thanksgiving Day celebration from this small group of religious dissenters who joined with Native Americans to express their gratitude to God for a good harvest.  I cannot help but wonder if today many enjoy the trappings of the holiday, but fail to ever utter a word of gratitude.

When it is all said and done, it makes little difference how we celebrate Thanksgiving, so long as we take time to truly express our gratitude for all of God’s gifts to us.

Greetings

Bob Howard

 

Ecclesiastes 1:10
Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new“? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

Blogging is not new.  It has been with us for a long time but under some other name.  I on the other hand am rather new to blogging.  The term “Blog” is itself a mystery.  It sounds like something one does and then must beg forgiveness for having done it. Where did they come from?  What does it mean?  Who is using it?   Why blog and not something else?  When does one blog rather than just jot down some thought?  I don’t have all the answers yet, but I’m working on them.  In the mean time, if you don’t mind, I’ll just jot down some thoughts and call them a blog.  Perhaps folks in the know will not pay any attention to my old fashion way of doing things and let me get away with it.

Cyber Ministry at Wesley Memorial is on the other hand, an attempt to use new methods in communication.   To discover new ways to experience God’s covenant with his people and enjoy His grace. It is finding new ways to use digital technology to deliver old truths and improve on known procedures and protocols.  It is making use of new toys to unleash God’s power and majesty in this world of need and injustice.  It is to… “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Bob Howard