Reflection - Thurs May 21st - Mary of Magdala, ECC

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Reflection from Your Deacons

May 21, 2020

We invite you to a Pentecost narrative:

Today is Ascension Thursday. (Some of us remember when Ascension Thursday was honored on a Thursday.)

“But you will receive power

when the holy Spirit comes upon you,

and you will be my witnesses…

When he had said this,

as they were looking on,

he was lifted up, and a --[mist]

took him from their sight.” Acts 1:8-9

Ascension Thursday signals Pentecost is coming. Why a Thursday? Because Pentecost means 50 and is 50 days from Easter. So Pentecost is May 31, 2020. Pentecost is based on the Hebrew harvest festival, Festival of Wheat, Shavuot, which is 7days x 7days+1day=50 days from Passover. The feast of Shavuot for the Hebrew people is that they were on pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, preparing to receive a higher degree of purity by making a sacrificial offering of their best young animals.

Today, the festival of Shavuot has been changed to Festival of the Giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, with the intention that the people will receive It.

As this is Ascension Thursday, we are 40 days from Easter and 10 days until Pentecost (7x7+1). Like the Jews, we Christians are on pilgrimage to the upper room where the disciples are preparing to receive the Holy Spirit. We are on pilgrimage to the fiftieth day after Easter to receive those tongues of fire. Jesus told the disciples that he had to leave them but that Abba/Amma would send them the Spirit, that fire.

The fire of Spirit may burn so hot and bright that obstacles to our spiritual growth, including frustration, anger, disillusionment, judgement, hopelessness and fear are burned away. With the space created within us by the ‘burning away,’ we become the vessel that receives the Holy Spirit, the Peace of Christ, the Wisdom of Sophia, all moving our hearts to action.

How are you preparing to make room and receive the Spirit? How would you want to be changed by the fire? Can you imagine your heart to be one of ‘our hearts were burning?”

You already know the charism you are: How can you expand and deepen your experience of the Spirit anew? Can you go to the margins of your growth, and push further into the unknown of compassion and be the word of God?

Let us prayer:

Come, Holy Spirit

Fill our hearts to overflowing,

we who love.

Burst our hearts’ seams with

the endless burning fire of your Love.

Send forth your Spirit of Fire

And our hearts, such as this,

you will create,

And thereby You will renew

the face of our earth.

O Creator, O Logos,

Who, by sending the fire of this

Holy Spirit, does lead, push,

and pull our faithful hearts,

grant that by the power of that

same Holy Spirit

we may be The Truth we seek,

we may be the Wisdom we seek,

and we may show the Compassion

we have gifted to us.

By, In, and Through Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Your input is requested

The Rocky Mountain Regional Council requests your thoughts on prayer.

We open our Rocky Mountain Regional Council with a prayer, which was appropriate for the time of Calling a Bishop. Now, going forward into what might be a long haul with Covid 19, we are divining a prayer appropriate for our journey into the unknown.

We ask for your prayerful thoughts so we may reflect the gratitude, petitions, and longings of all our churches as we pray together. Please email to marymagdalafc@gmail.com

In the Peace of Christ,

Your Deacons

Community Prayer Requests

Please pray for -

Joanne Gallagher, community member, who has as ked that prayers on her behalf be prayed to Mary, our Mother, as she prepares for surgery.

Julie Schoenbauer and family for the passing of her father and Yvonne Wootten and family for passing of her father-in-law. For the family of Edwin White, brother-in-law of Deacon Jane.

For the peaceful repose of the souls of Bill, Greg, and Calvin - friends of Deacon Rosean. For the continued recovery of Father Don Sutton - ECC Priest .

For Rosemary - Fr Michael's mother. For Dani - Niece of the Cloyds. Mary Crosby – parishioner. For Chris Bachman, friend of Lisa Jones and Ruth Parker, sister of Dori Carroll. For Lynne Barnes and family.

Becky Orsi and family. John Nystrom and family. The Dunn Family. Leo Six – father of Michael Six. Dorothea Grimm, Lauren Roob, Mike Gudim, Kim Speaker, Margie Weitz, Suzanne King, Robert Browell.

SERVICE RECORDINGS

** Sunday, May 17, Service reco rding available here***

Printed version here. And Fr Michael's Homily here

For all bulletins, reflections during our hiatus from celebrating together, visit our webpage here and for other videos , here

Click here to visit the Mary of Magdala,ECC website

Please contact us with questions, concerns and ideas for

better connection with and for the community at marymagdalafc@gmail.com or at 970-493-9536 --- Call is automatically forwarded to a real person!