June 7, 2020 · Acts 1:6–8

Count the Pentecost

It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

“The Holy Spirit has guided the church over centuries. The Holy Spirit confronts the darkness. And yes, many individuals in the church have grieved the Spirit greatly with things like racism — and even, actually, churches together have grieved the Spirit with things like racism. But also, the Holy Spirit empowering the church is what overcame many racist rules and laws and cultural traditions. And we can allow the Holy Spirit to continue to purge that evil out of our society now. Right? The black church gave rise to Pentecostals, which has reawakened the Holy Spirit. The black church showed us there's a unity that exists in God. The black church listened to the Holy Spirit, and gave us music that we worship with. It gave us prophetic moments and movements, like the Civil Rights Movement, to make the world a better place. We have the chance to really live differently, because we have the Spirit of God within us, and he will direct us. So maybe when you're facing jail for doing good, you can have joy, like Paul, with the Spirit. Or you're facing hatred from a group of people, and you can face them with love, like Martin Luther King Jr. Or maybe you're facing fighting in a moment, and you can have peace — like we're seeing happen in little beautiful moments, as the story is unfolding in front of us. … Especially as a church, we do not need to be afraid. We have the Holy Spirit. Let the Spirit show you how you can love in this time.”