A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.” All our names are engraved on God’s heart. God’s heart is toward us, and for us, reaching out to us, holding on to us, loving us steadfastly, faithfully, compassionately, forever. Our lives have been touched and are being transformed by God. And lives in which God is doing this holy work show signs of it.

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.”

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.” God invites us to walk in his steps and grow into the fullness of who God has created us to be. This growing up into the body of Christ is a lifelong process and a lifelong practice as we grow up as beloved children of our Father. This walking in God’s footsteps, growing more and more into the body of Christ is a lifelong process that ends, really, where it all started: Our lives are held by Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us, descending to the depths, setting us captives free, and ascending for above the heavens, leading us out together as we sing our song. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.”

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.”

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.”

We are longing to connect more deeply into life – the joyful life of love that has the power to create and the power to redeem – the joyful life of love that is lived out within the dance of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is the life we are all invited into. I bid your prayers for each one of us here today, that we would all find what we are longing for – life, joy, and love — God’s spring of living water that never leaves us thirsty.

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.” The yearning that God has built into us as humans is to grow closer to him, to feel his love, to be healed, to be transformed and made new. The yearning God has given us is to be knit together into family, into community, into the very body of Christ. At St. Paul’s we are forming people into the body of Christ. And this is why the year ahead of us is so exciting – this is a year we are even more intentionally inviting all of us, through two new initiatives, to be formed into the body of Christ together.

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.” “Go,” Jesus tells the disciples. Because the harvest is plentiful, and the laborers are few. Go. Heal the sick, case out the demons, bring the dead to life. Proclaim the good news. The time is now. The kingdom of God has arrived in the person of Jesus, who is God in the flesh. And in his presence, life cannot help but spring forth. The sick cannot help but be head can do nothing but spring to life.