This Week at Mt. Olive

Good evening, fellow redeemed!

Pentecost - the Jewish festival also called the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Booths - was fifty days after Passover. It was a drinking feast, one in which large quantities of new wine were consumed over the days of the feast. It's no wonder that, when some heard the apostles speaking in other languages, they figured these Galileans had been hitting the wine before everyone else.

But, we know how this goes. It was not wine being poured out, but God the Holy Spirit being poured out upon Jesus' chosen disciples, whom He had sent to be His apostles.

The miracles of Pentecost are numerous. The mighty rushing wind, the tongues of fire, the apostles speaking in other languages, all number among these miracles. Perhaps greater was the transformation of twelve men who were proven cowards into twelve bold proclaimers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Still greater was three thousand of those who heard the message were brought to faith by the Spirit. Even greater is that this same Spirit still works through the same message preached by similarly broken men to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ their Lord and keeps them there with Jesus Christ.

Pentecost is often a forgotten festival in the Church Year, overshadowed by graduations, ends of school years, and coming vacations. Yet, it is in the Pentecost miracle that the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian Church and keeps it with her Lord Jesus Christ.

Since it's Monday, I'm not going to give the Monday evening scehdule. I'll simply continue with Tuesday.

This week, nine young people will sit in my office to be questioned by me concerning the basics of the Christian faith. I'm confident that these young people will make a good confession.

That brings me to my second point: How would the adults, mainly the adults who were confirmed many years ago, fair under the same questions? Do these adults know the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Prayer? How well do these adults know the section of the Catechism titled "Christian Questions and Their Answers"? Here's an opportunity for adult Lutheran Christians to review the basics of their faith!

Also, we welcome Jennifer Doerk who recently completed Adult Instruction Class!

Bonus question: What three things should every person who communes know? Answer: The Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Prayer.

In any event, please pray for these young people as they prepare to make public confession of their faith on Sunday morning!

This coming Sunday also, I'll begin a promotion for a summer project at Mt. Olive. Beginning on Father's Day, as a church family, we will begin listening to the New Testament. Our goal will be to listen to the New Testament 20 minutes a day for forty days. CDs will be given to each family, and a bonus Kidz Bible will be given to children. The CDs are produced by a group known as Faith Comes by Hearing. Our goal during the listening will be to provide the cost of recording one book into a language indigenous to Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

I will be out of the office Friday.

Prayer Concerns:
Those who serve in our armed forces and their families: Andrew Epley (returning to Iraq), Rob Vadney (Afghanistan), Dru Blanc, John Sorenson, Ryan Radtke, Michael Baker (Corpus Christi), William Worley (Kingsville)
The holy Church throughout the world as it proclaims the Holy Trinity this Sunday
The confirmands of Mt. Olive and of all churches, that they would remain faithful unto death
Gricel Shumway, recovering from surgery

This Week at Mt. Olive:
Tuesday, May 25
6:30 p.m.
Confirmation Interviews begin

Wednesday, May 26
8:30 a.m.
School Chapel

9:30 a.m.
Bible Class, 1 Thessalonians 4

6 p.m.
Zumba Aerobics

7 p.m.
Choir Rehearsal

Thursday, May 27
6:30 p.m.
Confirmation Interviews begin

Saturday, May 29
10 a.m.
Confirmation Walk through