The Seventh Sunday of Easter  

The Readings this Sunday are: Acts 1:1-14; Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36; 1 Peter 4:7-13; and John 17:1-11. 

 About the Service, Sunday, May 4

Today is the Sunday after the Ascension of Christ into heaven, and the Sunday before Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to the disciples.  Jesus’ disciples were devastated to think of losing him again, after losing him once in the crucifixion.  What would come next?  How could they let him go?

This is an in-between time for Christians – an image for all the times in this life when we must let go of one thing before we can be sure of another.  Many transitions in life require this ability to let go, and trust in the future – that there will be a future.  When we move to a new home in a new place, we let go of all we have known, and trust in a new, unknown place to become home.  Leaving school or college requires the same letting-go – for both students and for their empty-nested parents.  Seniors face the letting-go of work and sometimes of good health and independence. And there comes a time for all of us when we must let go of loved ones, too, and trust that new love can be found in this life.

Jesus tried to comfort and reassure his disciples – promising that the Spirit of God would dwell in them, just as Jesus had dwelt with them in the flesh:  “It is not for you to know the times or the periods that the Father has set….  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you….”  There are no guarantees about future events, only the promise of God’s Spirit always with us. 

We baptize two little ones at the 10:15 a.m. service:  Addison ____ Barr and Cyrus Alexander Rehmann.  This is an appropriate time for baptism: we call God’s Holy Spirit to enter into and bless these two beloved children, and we welcome them into a lifetime of faith in Christ and participation in the Church.  Yet this is an in-between time; much is uncertain about the future for all of us.  These two babes require a new round of letting-go and trusting in the goodness of God.  We can help them learn to trust by creating a safe community for them to test their ideas, their faith in God, and the power of love.   JBM

In Need of Healing:  Virginia P. Mason, Mary Ellen Bou, Robert Ply, Felipe Anzola, Lauren Perea, Ted Belcher, Barbara Larrabee, Jennifer Crawford, George Kay, Pauline Barker, Scott Walker, Isabel Calmar, Joseph Ciarrocchi, Luke and James Murnaghan, and Jim Slaughter.