THE POWER OF EASTER AND PENTECOST

Dear Friends in Christ:

When I was in high school, I would pray this prayer each Sunday after I had received Communion:

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

I have returned to that prayer many times in the years since then and, in praying it, I have been reminded of six very important truths for the Church:

The God whom we meet in our crucified and risen Lord is a merciful God. That is the heart of Jesus' witness about the Father.
The Father's will for us is unity. Jesus prayed on the night that he was betrayed that we might be one even as he and the Father are one.
Our unity is not ours to accomplish, but is the work of the Holy Spirit.
We are called to make God's power known in the world, called to make God's love present through our words and our deeds.
All that we do and say is to be to God's glory, since it is not by our power, but as God works through us that we accomplish God's purposes.
In praying this prayer, we say "Yes" to God's gifts of unity and power.

The Fifty Days of Easter, which culminate in the Feast of Pentecost, are a celebration of these gifts of unity and power. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we share in Christ's Easter victory and in his continuing work in the world. In the first chapter of the Book of Revelation, John described Jesus as "the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." I believe that like Jesus, we are to be faithful witnesses to the Good News of God's steadfast love for humankind. Like Jesus, we are to experience resurrection life, and not just beyond this world, but in the abundant life that God gives us here and now. Like Jesus, we are not to be dominated and enslaved by the powers of this world, but to share in Christ's victory over them.

Far too often, we live fearful lives. Far too often, our fears keep us from bold action in response to God's call. In the March issue of The Apostle, I suggested that Lent could be a time for us to move out of our comfort zones by embracing spiritual disciplines and ways of ministry that were new and challenging for us. As we celebrate these Fifty Days, I ask you to consider a very specific form of ministry - inviting a friend to worship with us. I am not suggesting that you invite an active member of another congregation to visit, but that you identify a friend who isn't part of a worshipping community and invite that person to join you some Sunday. My suspicion is that doing that will require that you be able to put into words - but not too many - why being part of this community of faith is important to you. If you're willing to move out of your comfort zone and engage in this form of personal evangelism, I suggest that you take time to think about how you would talk about the importance of this community in your life and, perhaps, to share those words with another member of the parish. I would also suggest, and this is very important, that you pray about your choice of someone to invite. God knows your heart and the hearts of all your friends better than you do and God will guide you to just the right person.

Your brother and priest,
Daniel+