Pearls From Peace Pastor Brad & Pastor Glenn

What are you willing to stand up for in this life? Is it the things that you believe in? Is it things you don't believe in? I mean, who would stand up for things they don't believe in, or things that go against God's Word? Sinners. Like me. Like you. And so we need somebody to stand in our place, to succeed where we fail. That's Jesus, who dies on our behalf, for us, to save us, to give us repentance and forgiveness, and to help us stand in Him, and the truth of His Word, even if it costs us our life.

The Christ-followers of the early Church, that expanded rapidly at Pentecost, devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, to the breaking of bread, to prayer, and to fellowship. As we take a look at the Church of our world today, is it characterized by those same things, or is it different? And as we think about the Church expanding, numbers increasing, who is actually responsible for that growth?

God is Trinity, Triune, Three-in-one, one God yet three persons. That means 1+1+1=1. That's how the Trinity works. On this Trinity Sunday, we don't just confess our faith in the Trinity, we get to hear the Confirmation class confess their faith in the Trinity. That faith that was planted in them at their Baptism, through the water and the Word by God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in whose name they were baptized in. That faith that we who were baptized and confirm confess our faith in. God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Can you imagine what it must have been like that first Pentecost? The feeling of the Holy Spirit allowing you to speak in other languages. Hearing the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ in your own language from someone that couldn't speak it before. Having 3,000 believe that life-saving message. But Pentecost is more than just feelings. And the life of the church today is more than just feelings when we revisit that original Pentecost.

As we read the story of Jesus' birth we hear of the virgin Mary being visited by the angel and told she will give birth to the Savior. Mary visits Elizabeth, a woman previously barren, who is pregnant as well, and confesses her faith in the child that is in Mary's womb. Mary and Elizabeth, become mothers during unusual circumstances. Mothers who believed in the Savior of the world. Mothers who would do anything for their children. As we celebrate Mother's Day, we all have mothers. Yet there are many who struggle with this day, because of their own experiences with their mothers, or for their desire to be a mother that has never been granted. Wherever you are on this day, the Savior, who was born of the virgin, laid down His life for you, and is always with you.

As we move from the Old Testament to the New Testament, we look at the genealogy of Jesus, going all the way back to Abraham. What we find is that there are many names that stand that Matthew mentions, as we remember stories of the Old Testament. Names like "Father" Abraham, Jacob, Judah, Tamar, Rahab, and "the wife of Uriah." All this is to say: God worked through sinful people AND their sinful actions to bring about his plan of salvation.