OUR COLOR IS REDThe Day of Pentecost in Judaism and Christianity
is about a fullness of harvest - - whether of grain,
or the giving of Torah, or of Christian believers
coming for baptism or confirmation, or - - more
fundamentally - - the fullness of the Spirit's work
in us. This is the culmination of the Great 50 Days
of Easter, and a celebration of new beginnings in
our faith.
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On the day of the Jewish Festival of Pentecost
(the 50th Day after Passover) and the tenth day
after the ascension of Jesus. the Holy Spirit
inspires and inflames the gathered disciples
of Jesus to witness boldly to the pilgrims of
every nation.
They had prayed more together of late.
Notwithstanding differences of interests, as there
were among those disciples, they agreed to love
one another. The temple mount finds prominence
with Peter in Acts 2.
In Peter’s speech on Pentecost, he preaches
one of the longest sermons in Acts and 3,000 people
are added to the new and ever growing Christian
community.
The text is full of imagery: mighty rushing wind,
tongues of fire, people speaking in many languages,
large astounded multinational crowds, and the
trumpeting voice of Peter.
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Bob Dylan's classic 1963 hit song is a profound reminder
that, even when we think the answer is unknowable, the
wind is blowing there for us, and if we listen intently, we
may hear the solutions to the problems.
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How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
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ACTS 2:1-21 (New International Version) NIV
THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES AT PENTECOST
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all
together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind
came from heaven and filled the whole house where
they were sitting.
3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that
separated and came to rest on each of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began
to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing
Jews from every nation under heaven.
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together
in bewilderment, because each one heard them
speaking in his own language.
7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men
who are speaking Galileans?
8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own
native language?
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Judea,
Mesopotamia and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya
near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and
Arabs - we hear them declaring the wonders of God
in our own tongues!"
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another,
"What does this mean?"
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said,
"They have had too much wine."
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice
and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you
who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen
carefully to what I say.
15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only
nine in the morning!
16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 " 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood before the coming
of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.
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PSALM 104:24-34
(New Living Translation) (NLT) (UMH 826)
24 O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the ocean, vast and wide,
teeming with life of every kind,
both large and small.
26 See the ships sailing along,
and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.
27 They all depend on you
to give them food as they need it.
28 When you supply it, they gather it.
You open your hand to feed them,
and they are richly satisfied.
29 But if you turn away from them, they panic.
When you take away their breath,
they die and turn again to dust.
30 When you give them your breath, life is created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of the Lord continue forever!
The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!
32 The earth trembles at his glance;
the mountains smoke at his touch.
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
34 May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
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ROMANS 8:22-27 (Amplified Bible) AB
Celebration of Pentecost is not "all upbeat." The
Spirit does not move just up, but down and deep.
Part of the Spirit's work in our lives is to cause us
to anguish with sighs too deep for words, and so
to enter deeply into God's intercession for all
creation. Lament begins with an honest realistic
acknowledgment of the sorrow and losses we or
others have experienced. For Christians, lament
includes allowing groanings of the Spirit within
us to be expressed openly in the worship setting.
Remember: Lament never stops with loss and pain.
It always moves toward a reminder of the
trustworthiness of God, and often ends in a
confession of trust, and praise.
22 We know that the whole creation has been moaning
together in the pains of labor until now.
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves too,
who have and enjoy the first fruits of the Holy Spirit
and groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of
our bodies from sensuality and the grave, which will
reveal our adoption our manifestation as God's sons.
24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope which
is seen is not hope. For how can one hope for what
he already sees?
25 But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we
wait for it with patience and composure.
26 So too the Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears
us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer
to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the
Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads
in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings
too deep for utterance.
what is in the mind of the Holy Spirit, what His intent is,
because the Spirit intercedes and pleads before God in
behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with
God's will.
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A PRAYER OF LAMENT
From "Prayers for Those Facing Disasters"
Copyright © 2005
One:
We have lost everything, Lord:
houses, businesses, paychecks, photos, and
even food.
All:
Let our cry come to you, O God.
One:
We have lost every place, Lord:
Neighborhoods, churches, places we shopped,
and worked, and played.
All:
Let our cry come to you, O God.
One:
We have lost everyone, Lord:
Neighbors, friends, classmates, teachers,
colleagues, spiritual guides and companions,
All:
Let our cry come to you, O God.
One:
Have you lost us, Lord?
Silence.
One:
We have what health and strength we have, O Lord.
We have this place to gather and offer our cry.
We have one another, some known to us, and some
who may have gathered only for this prayer.
All:
Our cry has come to you, O Lord.
You hear the voice of our mourning.
One:
You draw near to those who are hurting,
lift up those who have been bowed down,
and sustain all who have no other support.
All:
We had heard of your compassion with our ears,
But now we see it with our eyes,
And feel it in our bones.
One:
You show us your mercy, O Lord.
All:
And you grant us your salvation.
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JOHN 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
(New International Reader's Version) (NIRV)
The social system was certain that executing Jesus,
removing him from view, would cause the world to
forget. That strategy backfired. Executing Jesus led
to his resurrection, ascension, and the coming of
the Spirit upon all flesh. Executing his followers only
led to the multiplication of Christians. God's call to
follow Jesus is now everywhere to be heard.
Righteousness is not about subtracting threat, but
about multiplication of life.
4 "Why have I told you this? So that when the time comes,
you will remember that I warned you. I didn't tell you this at
first because I was with you.
5 "Now I am going to the One who sent me. But none
of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with
sadness.
7 "But what I'm about to tell you is true. It is for your
good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the
Friend will not come to help you. But if I go, I will send
him to you.
8 When he comes, he will prove that the world's people
are guilty. He will prove their guilt concerning sin and
godliness and judgment.
9 "The world is guilty as far as sin is concerned. That is
because people do not believe in me.
10 The world is guilty as far as godliness is concerned.
That is because I am going to the Father, where you
can't see me anymore.
11 The world is guilty as far as judgment is concerned.
That is because the devil, the prince of this world, has
already been judged.
12 "I have much more to say to you. It is more than you
can handle right now.
13 But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you
into all truth. He will not speak on his own. He will speak
only what he hears. And he will tell you what is still going
to happen.
14 "He will bring me glory by receiving something from
me and showing it to you.
15 Everything that belongs to the Father is mine. That is
why I said the Holy Spirit will receive something from me
and show it to you.
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HOT DOG ROAST, Sunday, May 31st. at 6PM
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MONDAY, JUNE 1ST —
This is Pastor Lynn's and Naomi's scheduled day off
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ADAIR UMC - Matthew Bible Study - at 9:00 A.M.
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3RD —
Adair UMW Meeting 8:30AM at Happy Chef.
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JUNE 4TH THRU JUNE 7TH —
IOWA Annual Conference. Pastor Lynn will be gone.
In case of emergency, call the UMC office, Bill Elgin,
or Dean Heckman.
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FUTURE FOCUS — —
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL —
ADAIR UMC — JULY 6TH THRU 9TH —
FROM 9 A.M. TO 2 P.M. WITH GOOD
SHEPHERD CHURCH.
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SATURDAY, JULY 11th – CASEY DAYS
¡¡¡WANTED!!! CASEY DAY'S LUNCH COORDINATOR-–contact the ABC PARISH office at 641-746-2210.
A BIG THANK YOU to Frankie,
who filled this position for many years!!
(Are there any more at home like you my dear?)
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CASEY ST. JOHN'S LUTHERAN —
EVENING BIBLE SCHOOL JULY 12TH - 16TH
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CASEY UMC — EVENING VACATION BIBLESCHOOL FROM JULY 20TH THRU JULY 23RD.
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Thank you for your contributions to our church
life this week. We are all better because you
are here. Thank you for keeping those who have
given so much and suffered so much, in your
prayers. Keep your senses alert for the spirit of
good judgment, whether it wafts in on the wind, or
envelopes you in sunbeams. You will know it is
there.
God bless and keep you,
Pastor Lynn
