From the Pastor
The Bible is filled with amazing accounts happening to ordinary people. Take the events that took place on the day of Pentecost...
A Bonfire for Pentecost
You remember the story, don’t you? Following the crucifixion, the disciples were in hiding, gripped with fear. Then the Holy Spirit ‘visits’ them. While we tend to focus on their newly found language skills, the real miracle of the day was that they gained courage to leave their fears behind. If you’re thinking this isn’t a big deal, just imagine facing your greatest fears. It’s ‘ordinary’ for us to be afraid. It’s ‘extraordinary’ for us to leave our fears behind.
On Pentecost, what changed was more than the ability to ‘speak’ in a new way. What changed was the ability to ‘live’ in a new way. The disciples were never the same. The entire pathway of their lives went off in new directions. The Spirit does that to us. It ‘births’ the church and sends it off into the world.
On Sunday, May 23 we will celebrate Pentecost. Through the efforts of the Pastors and Lay-leaders of the three ‘Bonfire’ Congregations (House of Hope, St. James, and First Lutheran churches), we will participate in a special joint Sunday worship service at 10:00 a.m. in the Cooper High School Auditorium in New Hope. (This site was chosen due to its central location to all three churches and having a space
large enough to accommodate the expected crowd of 500 worshipers.) All three congregations will forego their own Sunday morning worship schedules that day to come together for one common worship experience. There will be no services at any of the three church facilities that day.
Dr. Patrick Keifert, Professor of Systematic Theology at Luther Seminary will be our guest preacher. Dr. Keifert is also an internationally known consultant on church revitalization and is President and Director of Research of ‘Church Innovations Institute’ in St. Paul. He brings a personal passion for transformational ministry due to his experiences with the renewal of the church from Africa, to Europe, to New Zealand. Patrick is the right voice for all three churches to hear at this time as we come together for this special Pentecost Celebration.
This joint worship service is the latest and most visible sign of the collaboration between the ‘Bonfire’ congregations. The Pastors, elected lay-leaders, and many other interested lay-persons from all three congregations have been involved in creating and planning the worship service, music, lay-participation, ushers assignments, and parking lot attendants so that members of all three congregations will have a care-free experience that morning. I know it’s different. I know you might not think it’s for you. But Pentecost was made for such things; to live a new way. Even if it’s just for an hour or so.
In coming weeks reminders will be posted. Maps to Cooper High will be made available. Sign-up sheets for rides or carpooling will be posted in the Narthex and in the office.
I’m hoping this Pentecost will become a day remembered with joy in the coming decades. I’m hoping it will be remembered as the day we let the Spirit fly free in our own time.
Blessings!
Pastor David Folkerts
Worship
Sunday: 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
Sunday School
Held during the 9:30 a.m. worship service.
Kid’s Church
The first Sunday of each month
(no Sunday school).
Children stay with their parents
through the children’s message.
First Lutheran Church of Crystal
7708 - 62nd Avenue North
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428
(763) 537-4576 (phone)
(763) 537-0372 (fax)
