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Text Box: The good shepherd and the shepherding love of Christ is the focus for our worship on May 3rd. The familiar words of Psalm 23 become fresh when interwoven with the words of John10 and 1 John 3. The Gospel from John implies that other sheep are part of God’s fold, while Acts focuses on the unique saving ability of Jesus Christ, and Peter’s courage before the council in Jerusalem begins the greatest spiritual adventure of all time expanding the fold to include all of God’s creation. Proclaiming and living the good news is at the heart of the Scriptures for May 10th —the good news of the transforming love of God for all people. Our only authentic response to such love is to love God and God’s people in return. It is love in action—a love that bears fruit; a love that reaches out across boundaries of race, class, and sex; a love that forms us all into one family of God; a love that ushers in the kingdom of God. Love, what a wonderful topic for Mother’s Day The underlying theme woven through this Sunday, May 17th lections is again love—a love that is active rather than passive. Psalm 98 is an enthusiastic invitation to celebrate God’s love and faithfulness. 1 John 5 offers a connection between God’s love for us and our love for others. John 15 provides an explicit call to loving faithfulness, a call to service in Jesus’ name. Jesus proclaims, “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). The commandment to love is a call to action and service, not a call to quiet contemplation. May 24th is Ascension Sunday and also this year Memorial Day weekend. Power is a dominant theme in today’s readings: the power of the risen Christ who is glorified and the promised power of the Holy Spirit. These texts invite us to reflect upon how these two powers work together in our life of faith. They also anticipate the conclusion of the Easter season next Sunday on Pentecost. This Sunday, we celebrate the power of Jesus Christ, while also yearning for the gift of power in the Holy Spirit. Pentecost Sunday is May 31st when the feast of

Text Box: Pentecost is celebrated with images of rushing wind, tongues of flame, and with the breaking down of language barriers to receive the message of the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Romans passage uses the metaphor of birth to describe the infant church awaiting guidance of the Spirit, while making the transition from old ways to a new life in Christ. John introduces the Advocate, or Spirit of Truth, as the guide for those who follow Christ. The psalm proclaims that all creation rejoices at the touch of God’s hand. At Pentecost, the mission of the church is to reach out to the world with the love of Christ. We ask all to wear red on this Sunday. June 7th is Trinity Sunday and all of our texts this Sunday speak of God in mysterious and ultimate terms. They speak of the God of power and splendor who conducts cosmic business in the lofty courts of heaven, who reveals truth through the sign-doer and riddle-maker Jesus, and who moves through the elusive Spirit Wind. What mystery! Our words—yes, even our Trinitarian stammering—buckle beneath the weight of transcendence our words attempt to convey. What majesty! And yet, each text also points to places in life where ultimate and unlimited reality brushes up against, and impinges upon, our limited lives for powerful, life changing experiences. These experiences proclaim that we—the lowly, the enslaved, the woeful—are drawn into the cosmic story line of God’s immense life and intentions. Trinity Sunday is the Sunday to celebrate God as the mystery that shimmers in our lives. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. This truth is witnessed in God’s decision to anoint David as the new king of Israel: “The LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b). This truth is proclaimed by Paul in his insistence, “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). And it is expressed by Jesus, as he compares the kingdom of God to a tiny mustard seed where birds will one day make their nests.