Pentecost and the Fruit of the Spirit

John 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

I love Pentecost. At church it is a celebration. A party where we all dress up in red and sometimes the church sanctuary is full of balloons and bursting with enthusiasm. It is a wonderful time of reflection after Easter, a much needed reminder that there is still something to celebrate, something to be excited and enthused about, and there is still work in the church to be done.

That is why I love Pentecost. It is only a short distance from Easter on the calendar, but even in a Christian heart we recognize we fall short. I need spiritual reminders as much as I need a post card reminder to tune the car or a timer to buzz so I’ll turn off the oven. I am so glad that Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit and that Pentecost has become the perfect reminder of his love weeks after we celebrated the awesome love of Easter.

We read about the return of Jesus in John 20:19-23. He comes back to us offering the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the essence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit that allows us to be full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. By not utilizing these gifts Galatians 5:23 tells us there is no law.

Think about it; picture a world without the fruits of the Spirit. I imagine it would be like driving on the roads without traffic lights, designated lanes and signs. There would be noise, confusion, much road rage. No one would feel safe and we’d fear every other car out there. No love, no joy, no peace, no patience, no kindness, no goodness, no faithfulness, no gentleness and no self-control. It sounds sad doesn’t it?

Well we don’t have to be sad because Jesus said “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And now Jesus is sending us.

Related Posts:

Pentecost, Birthday of the Christian Church
Podcast: The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

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I remembered my mother’s copy of Poems of Childhood by Eugene Field. It was probably the most used in a set of classics that she kept. She would read them and then I would read them and I was so happy recently when she presented me with the copy of his verse.

A few years ago I was asked to present a Mother’s Day sermon for church and I of course spoke of my mom and life with my two sisters and sharing parenting with my mom as she now raises my two younger brothers.

During my sermon I of course included some verse by Eugene Field. Here are both of them: Good-Children Street and Pittypat and Tippytoe.

You can find (and download a pdf copy of) his poems at PoemHunter.com.

I hope the poetic works of Eugene Field bring you much enjoyment as a mother and child of God. Have a Happy Mother’s Day.

I will end this post with a podcast of the poem This Is Your Day by Louis Untermeyer.

The Mother’s Day Proclamation of 1870 was intended to be the start of a celebration of mothers by Julia Ward Howe. Julia Ward Howe was an abolitionist poet who was accomplished in many arenas and while she may be known for writing The Battle Hymn of the Republic, her efforts to begin a Mother’s Day failed to catch on.

Christian Ann Reeves Jarvis took up the baton and in another effort worked on a program called “Mother’s Work Days,” which succeeded her and was passed on to her daughter, Anna. Anna honored her mother and three years later, on Sunday May 10, 1908, was the next attempt to start a tradition and this time it stuck after a church service was held for mothers.

Both these Christian women were part of different movements that supported men during the Civil War in one way or another in a selfless Christian act. The Mother’s Work Day Clubs founded by Ann Reeves Jarvis supported both Union and Confederate soldiers while Julia Ward Howe penned The Battle Hymn of the Republic to help further the cause of the Union soldiers fighting against slavery.

It is a beautiful tribute that Mother’s Day has continued on till this day. I will take a few days to honor the sacred history of this day that we don’t hear much about any more.

Are American Christians living the American dream? Today more than ever we see competition for the Christian dollar. Setting the holidays aside, shopping for religious or faith-based products is growing. This more than adds to growing opportunities for Christian business men and women.

What are we seeing exactly in the Christian community? We’re seeing Christians, both Christian consumers and Christian businesses, networking in traditionally secular ways.

Christian Business Job Boards

Today if you’re job hunting and want to be hired by a Christian business you can find companies through job boards like www.ChristianStaffing.Org or www.ChristianJobs.com.

Work At Home Christian Businesses and Franchises

You can find a work-at-home Christian business through www.christianet.com. You can also search for numerous franchise opportunities on the web and find Christian businesses in many areas of interest, from Chic-fil-A, Curves and H&R Block

Christian Work-At-Home Forums

Christian work-at-home forums bring Christian business opportunities. It’s not just for the ladies either, Christian Working at Home Moms (CWAHM) has spun off support for men, Christian Working at Home Dads (CWAHD).

There is something for everyone really, there is a ChristianWAHM for Christian women and Christian work-at-home moms; and grandparents have found Christian businesses or work-at-home opportunities at Faithful Grannies and Christian Work At Home Grandparents and Moms.

Many secular job forums also have sub-forums for Christians, whether work-at-home or Christian businesses.

Businesses Advertise Their Faith

What used to be the traditionally secular business down the street is now advertised as a Christian business. Business owners are deciding to hang their faith on the door to cater to fellow Christians and spread the word.

Added Benefits to the Christian consumer

As a Christian consumer it is getting easier to support Christian businesses. There are various Christian business yellow pages and community Christian business directories to help you find businesses to meet your needs. Finding Christian products and media in this day in age is very easy, especially via the internet.

What is your take on the growth in Christian business opportunities? Is this a front to make a buck or a genuine coming together of the Christian community? Do you think it hurts or helps the faith-based community?

If you’re a Christian woman you probably have a good network of friends. Maybe your church has a group that brings Christian women together. Most denominations have women organizations that encourage us coming together on a regular basis to strengthen our faith. They even send publications to their members on women’s topics.As a Christian woman, you may wonder if it is important that all your friends be Christian women. While it is good to surround yourself with Christian women, it is not necessary for all your women friends to be Christian. As Christians we hope to share our faith, so setting an example of how your life has changed for the better through Christ’s love is something you hope to share with your friends.However, sometimes we become Christians so we can get rid of some of the baggage we’ve carried around that hold us back from leading a good life. Unfortunately that might equate to losing some of our friends. So, if you’re a Christian woman, it is only natural that at some point in your life, hopefully sooner than later, that you establish a network of good Christian women who will help you to grow in Christ.Where do you find like minded Christian women?Church. Always start at your church. Hopefully if you’ve taken a good amount of time to select the right church, you know that the people in that church are like-minded.Community Organizations. Other churches in the area sometimes have groups not offered in your own church. This is a great way to expand your horizons and meet more Christian women. Some churches even share events and Bible studies together.Online. Yes, the internet has its good points. Check out your denominations web page, they may link you to other organizations in your area. Look for Christian women board. Many women, and work at home boards have a forum set up by religion so Christian women can get together on their boards. If you are a member of another forum poke around and see if they have a Christian women’s board. If not suggest one.

Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus, is an allegory of pictures and words. You might find a lot of books telling an allegorical tale on the bookshelves, but none I’ve found yet that were so simple as Hope for the Flowers. I would recommend this as a family read, especially for those with young children.

This short book tells the story of Stripe, a caterpillar who is in search of something more. He thinks he has found it when he comes upon a column of climbing caterpillars reaching way into the clouds. Certainly they must have a reason for climbing way up into the sky. So, he begins his climb.

He meets a friend along the way, Yellow, who after a while takes a different path from the column climbing caterpillars and finds out that caterpillars become butterflies for the sole purpose of making a world full of flowers.

Although a book with much predictability…we all know that Stripe will become a butterfly, a few of the well thought out pictures are moving. Pictures in darkness and light translating the changes in our lives, the ups and downs we encounter. I can’t help relating Stripe’s climb to my daily drive to work. How many people do I step on to get where I’m trying to go sometimes? To what avail? It was only my desire to end up at a particular location, not God’s.

The most moving picture for me is the one during Stripe’s descent after reaching the top and finding out he could become a butterfly and fly. He is elated and wants to share his message. Each caterpillar he looks at as he carefully travels back down the column is imprinted with a butterfly. My hope is that I could remember that picture in my mind everyday, that somehow we could be better people if we remember that we all have the same potential to grow in Christ.

This book is a wonderful short read. I read this book in a day, sharing the pictures with my eldest daughter and trying to convey the message of Stripe and Yellow to her. God has a divine plan for all of us. We are all here for a higher purpose, not by our own design.

If you are looking for a book to bring home for a nice Sunday read, or to get across to a young mind that Sunday school message that you hope your child may carry with them the rest of their life, then check this book out.

What message do we need to hear for us to recognize that there might be a butterfly in each of us?