One in the Spirit – Today is Pentecost Sunday, and, in addition to our Summer of Psalms reading from Psalm 133, we hear the Pentecost story from the Book of Acts when, after the crucifixion and resurrection, believers are gathered and, miraculously, see and feel the flames of the Holy Spirit.  In her sermon, Carol describes sitting in her office early in the week and hearing an odd sound, then realizing it was a bird at the window, attempting to get in.  Not recognizing the type of bird, she consulted her phone app and was struck by the beauty and diversity of the breeds of birds, their features, and their songs.  We live in God’s creation where the variety of lands, plants, animals, and people is demonstrative of divine creativity and design.  In the Pentecost story, one of the features is that people are gathered from many lands and languages, and yet, in the Spirit, they can hear and understand those other tongues.  God’s mercy and love extend to every culture and land, and God’s wish is that we all live together in unity.  Psalm 133 is a “Psalm of Ascents,” one of the songs the people sang when going to Jerusalem for festivals, and it emphasizes living together in unity.  Today, our world needs to experience the unity of love.

(NOTE:  Emphasizing the importance of the Word, the video begins with the scripture reading, but if you want, you can scroll back to the beginning of the service in each video – the entire service is available. NOTE: The church is in the process of upgrading the lighting and sound systems in the sanctuary, and the quality of the sound for today’s service was affected greatly by the upgrades not yet being completed.)