From Debbie’s desk:
When I think about the month of May, flowers and longer evenings and warmer nights come to mind. May is also my middle name (after my Grammy Heffner). And this year May hosts Pentecost – the birthday of the Christian church.
As I sit and write this article, I am reminded of the definition of “May”. May is a modal verb indicating that something could be true, or could have happened, or will possibly happen in the future. “May” indicates possibility, implies permission, and informs proposal. So, putting these scattered thoughts together, let’s see where “May” may lead:
Maybe the Lord has something special in store for us. God said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Dt 31:8) If we believe that, then we need to remember that no matter where we are or what we are doing, God is there. And just maybe we have received a blessing that we didn’t even notice. May our eyes be open to God’s blessings!
Maybe we need to give more time to our faith. Is the Lord asking us to re-evaluate our commitment to Him? Have we thought about attending Sunday worship but allowed the calls of other obligations to draw us away? Have we accepted the excuse that we’ll go ‘next week’ only to find that we’re too busy to make it even then? God’s voice is not always obvious. As with Elijah, God may be speaking in a “gentle whisper” or even in “sheer silence.” (1Ki 19:12) We may think it is fine with God when we are not present in worship. But God is deserving of our worship and praise. May our hearts be so open to the Lord’s call that we cannot put Him second in our lives.
Maybe God wants us to rethink our service to the church. Is there something that we may have thought about for some time but we never acted upon? As Joshua said, “Now fear
the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Josh 24:14-15) Elder, Deacon, Sunday School teacher, committee work, choirs, studies, child care, usher, sound system, lay reader, PROMIS, children’s message…there is a plethora of ways to serve the Lord within the church and beyond. May our minds be so in tune with the Lord that we will act on our desire to serve Him.
And just maybe each of us should “X” out Sunday, May 11, clear the morning of all other commitments and come to worship. After all, it is Pentecost, the birthday of the Christian church! And let’s wear red! Red signifies the flames of the Holy Spirit – the third Person of the Trinity. Wearing red reminds us it is God’s church and we are empowered by God through the Holy Spirit to serve Him. Remember the words of the Psalmist:
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Ps 100)
Come one, come all. Let’s celebrate! Let’s worship the Lord! Let’s serve Him. For in so doing, may God bless us, every one!
See you on Pentecost!
(Debra May Cerra )
