All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city.
Jesus concludes today’s readings with these words, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” If Jesus then ascended into heaven, how could he be with the eleven disciples and with us as he promised? Jesus also promised to send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s own presence dwelling in our inner most being. The Holy Spirit unites us to Jesus and to each other in the Body of Christ.
The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples in the upper room with the sound of rushing wind, the tongues of flame, and speaking in different languages is not the way the Holy Spirit typically manifests himself in our lives. It was a special case as was the experience of Cornelius, his household, and his friends. It was God’s way of showing Peter that he accepted the Gentiles. The gospel was not just for the Jews. It was for all humanity.
Jesus compared the Holy Spirit to the wind. We cannot see the wind. We may feel the touch of a gentle breeze on our cheek. We may be buffeted by a strong gust of wind. We may see the clouds scudding across the sky, driven by the wind. We may see the branches of a tree, lashing back and forth in a high wind that precedes a thunderstorm. We may see dead leaves whirled across our yard by the wind in the fall. But we do not see the wind itself.
The Holy Spirit manifests himself in us in the same way. On occasion the manifestations of the Holy Spirit may be dramatic but most often they are like a shoot sprouting, a flower unfolding, or a leaf unfurling. We experience a gradual transformation in ourselves, a progressive change in our lives. We become more loving, kinder, more compassionate, gentler. We become more like Jesus.
The Scripture reading for this Saturday evening is Matthew 28: 16-20 The Commissioning of the Disciples.
The homily is titled “Team Jesus.”
The link to this Saturday evening’s service is—
https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2021/05/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-saturday_14.html
Please feel free to share the link to the service with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.
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Previous services are online at
https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/
May this service be a blessing to you.
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