From the Pastor’s Desk
Made New by the Spirit: Finding Daily Faith as We Approach Pentecost
The Holy Spirit as the Gateway to Faith
For Christians, we proclaim that our encounter with God begins with the Holy Spirit. That may sound like a strange statement, as we tend in many congregations to spend more time talking about God the Father and God the Son than we do about God the Holy Spirit. Yet in our encounter with God it is the Holy Spirit who is first. The primary gift of the Holy Spirit is faith, and it is through faith that we are moved to look to Christ and through Christ to God the creator.
Living the Spirit’s Inspiration Daily
We experience the Holy Spirit each and every day as we seek to know God and follow God. Thus the Holy Spirit is fundamental to our everyday life of faith. Too easily we overlook this or assume that an experience of the Holy Spirit is something that other people have that we cannot understand. The Spirit, though, comes to us daily in inspiring our faith. It is through that faith that we desire to be part of the church. It is also through that faith that we look to Christ and believe that Christ shows us God’s ways and brings us forgiveness of sin. Through that faith in Christ, then, we come to know God’s loving nature and creative desire to bring forth the blessings of this world.
As we move toward Pentecost, I invite you to pay attention to the ways the Spirit is at work in your life. Any time you turn to God, thank the Spirit for moving your heart. — Pastor Eric J. Trozzo
We celebrate the experience of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, which falls on May 24 this year. This day is a day to celebrate the birth of the church, to be sure, but even more it is a time to remember the presence of the Holy Spirit with us each day. It is a day to celebrate the faith born in us anew each day as a gift of the Spirit. As we move towards Pentecost, I invite you to pay attention to the ways that the Spirit is at work in your life each day. Any time you turn to God, thank the Spirit for moving your heart. In this way we become people who realize that we are Spirit-led and always made new.