Day of Pentecost: Scriptures: Acts: 2:1-21; John 14:8-17, 25-27
Key Verse: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.” (John 14:16)
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Hello, This is Jade.
Welcome to Yi.kigai
A space for all to explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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Happy Birthday to the Church, the body of Christ, to you - the people of faith in Jesus Christ!
How do you normally celebrate your birthday? Out of all the things you have done on your birthday, what did you enjoy the most and why? Who do you like to celebrate with the most? In my culture, having pork knuckle noodles was a must have for a birthday because pork knuckle symbolizes strong life and noodles symbolize longevity. So, what do the people of faith do on the church’s birthday and with whom do we celebrate?
In the past 2000 plus years, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church has given birth to millions of churches around the world. Among the millions of churches, some have kept good relationships with each other intentionally while some have set themselves apart because of the differences of languages, cultures, traditions, ethnicities, and theologies. And some have different mission focuses like ministries of campus, education, prison, hospital, shelter, and nursing home.
God has given us the Holy Spirit as an advocate and a companion for us to grow strong and stay on the right path. And on this path of our faith journey, meeting individuals who have different upbringings from our own can be nerve-wracking if we are not ready to step out of our comfort zone to explore and learn new things about each other. As we explore and learn new things from each other, we want to be with God who is LOVE so that any toxic relationships won’t be able to make it.
On this day, let’s take out a candle to make not a wish but a wholehearted prayer. What would you like to pray about, and who would you like to pray for? I am so excited to look forward to all unseen joy and blessings from God for the year to come for you and me, and for the life of the church.
As we pray with the companionship of the Holy Spirit and light the candle, let’s put trust before fear, hope before desperation, joy before grief. With a humble and grateful posture, let’s put all for whom we pray in God’s hands and blow out the candle and shout ‘Amen’ with confidence.
Lastly, pick up your phone or your pen. Call someone or write to each other that you haven’t seen for a while. It is a great opportunity to send a church birthday greeting! And what Bible verse would you include in your greeting? I like the one from Ephesians 4:4-6: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Happy Birthday to you, Church!
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May your coming week be blessed by God’s grace
As together we explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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