06/05/2026
Pastor's Column
June 4, 2026
My dear church family,
Have you felt the loneliness, the emptiness, the fear of being alone? Seven years ago I was on my cell phone, chatting with my sister in Massachusetts as I walked around our yard, doing little chores. Suddenly, I found myself lying on my back in extreme pain. In my negligence, I had fallen and broken my hip. Reaching around among the leaves of our side yard, I found my phone and brought it to my ear. My first words to my sister were, “Don’t hang up.” In that vulnerable moment, I did not want to be alone.
The disciples were deeply afraid when Jesus was crucified. They locked themselves in a room, in an effort not to be found by those who had taken Jesus. Without Him, they felt deeply alone. When the resurrected Jesus later appeared to them, they felt disbelief followed by wonder and “burning hearts!” Once again, at the Ascension, Jesus left them, but this time they fell down and worshipped Him as he ascended, because His departure meant the fulfillment of His promises about the arrival of the Holy Spirit. (John 14:16, 17)
The Holy Spirit has always existed with God the Father and Jesus the Son. It was at the Jewish harvest festival called Shavuot, celebrated 50 days after the Passover, that the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to every believer. The Christian church now commemorates the gift of the Spirit every year on Pentecost Sunday.
Two weeks ago, on May 24th, FPCA and AKPC joined together to celebrate Pentecost. The sanctuary was filled with the traditional color of red on the clothes people wore, on the church paraments, on the stoles that Pastor Yang and I wore, and on the beautiful worship arts that Damon displayed. Barbara led the choir in music reminding us of the “Spirit of the Living God” (one of our hymns) and in singing the hymn composed by Merrill, “Acts II.” Armand shared the audio of John 3:16 echoing the verses spoken simultaneously in many languages, closing the live recitation of the verse by people in the congregation.
A highlight of the service was the flag dance performed by “Wings of Shalom.” This beautiful presentation reminded us of the movement of the Holy Spirit. The children returned early from Godly Play and sat mesmerized on the front pew as Clara and Crystal danced with their huge, silk flags. I sat in the second pew, and could feel the breeze created by the flags. We often speak of the Holy Spirit as “wind,” as the Hebrew word “ruach” can be translated "spirit," "wind," or "breath," and the Greek word, “pneuma” translates to both "spirit" and "wind." Both Jesus and Paul used wind as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit (John 3:8, Acts 2:2). In the dance, I felt the wind of the Holy Spirit. You can watch a video of the dance by clicking here.
After my fall, my sister stayed on the line with me. She had her daughter use her cell phone to direct EMT’s to our home. My sister’s voice was the comfort I needed during those minutes of waiting for medical help. In John 14:16, 17, Jesus promises that the Father will send an advocate, that is, the Holy Spirit, to be with us and to comfort us. When you feel alone, remember that the Holy Spirit is with you. If you need to hear the voice of a person as I did, reach out to another member of the body of Christ, your fellow believers here at church. What comfort there is in knowing that we are not alone!
Your sister in the body of Christ,
Pastor Cindy
