Opening Story:
I heard a story the other day, an amusing story, about a boy who was
wandering around the narthex of a large downtown church one Sunday morning
and stopped and examined a large bronze plaque that was hung on the wall.
"What are all those names up there?" he asked one of the ushers.
"Those are the names of people who died in the service." the usher
replied.
Curious, the boy asked the usher
- "which service, the 9:30 service or the 11 o'clock service?"
I am happy to report today that we are about,
what we are celebrating,
is a birth - not a death -
the birth of the church - the birth of Christ
in you and me - and in all who call on his name.
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Thomas O’Loughlin
Introduction to the Celebration
Today we are celebrating a feast that was celebrated by many
of the Jews who lived at the time of Jesus. Many of his early followers
continued to celebrate it after the resurrection, and so it became part of the
annual celebrations of all Christians. However, over the first few decades of
the church, this feast took on a new meaning: Jesus has risen and ascended to
the Father, but he promised us his Spirit. So today we rejoice that the Spirit
is moving in each of our hearts making us a people, inspiring us to understand
the mystery of our faith, and strengthening us to follow Jesus the Anointed
One.
