United Methodist Church - Waupun

05/28/2026

Waupun United Methodist Church, Waupun, WI
Trinity Sunday Worship Supplement – 5/31/2026

How Majestic by Shane & Shane
When I look at Your heavens
The moon and stars You set in motion, oh God
I sing all glory and honor
What is man that You are mindful
The Son of Man that You would care for Him
We sing all glory and honor

Oh Lord, our Lord
Oh, how awesome are Your ways
How majestic is Your name in all the earth
Oh Lord, our Lord
May we see Your kingdom come
Father, may Your will be done in all the earth

In all the earth You gave dominion to Your children
And You crowned them, oh God
With glory and honor, so we'll sing of Your name
Live our lives for Your greatness, oh God
And Your glory and honor

Oh Lord, our Lord
Oh, how awesome are Your ways
How majestic is Your name in all the earth
Oh Lord, our Lord
May we see Your kingdom come
Father, may Your will be done in all the earth

The Earth is full of the glory of God
Come make much of the name above all names
Creation cries out and every knee bows
Jesus, we crown You, oh Lord, our Lord

The Earth is full of the glory of God
Come make much of (come make much of)
Oh, the name above all names
Creation cries out (oh, and every knee)
And every knee bows (ooh, Jesus we)
Jesus, we crown You, oh Lord, our Lord (ooh)
Oh Lord, our Lord
Oh Lord, our Lord

Oh Lord, our Lord
How awesome are Your ways
How majestic is Your name in all the earth
Oh Lord, our Lord
May we see Your kingdom come
Father, may Your will be done in all the earth

Oh Lord, our Lord
Oh, how awesome are Your ways
How majestic is Your name in all the earth
Oh Lord, our Lord
May we see Your kingdom come
Father, may Your will be done in all the earth

Oh Lord, our Lord
Oh, how awesome are Your ways
How majestic is Your name in all the earth
Oh Lord, our Lord
May we see Your kingdom come
Father, may Your will be done in all the earth
In all the earth

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Refrain: All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful: the Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors, and made their tiny wings.

Refrain: All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful: the Lord God made them all.

The purple-headed mountains, the river running by,
the sunset and the morning that brightens up the sky.

Refrain: All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful: the Lord God made them all.

The cold wind in the winter, the pleasant summer sun, the ripe fruits in the garden: God made them every one.

Refrain: All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful: the Lord God made them all.

God gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell
how great is God Almighty, who has made all things well.

Refrain: All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful: the Lord God made them all.

Second Old Testament Reading on supplement Genesis 1:1-2:3 (NIV)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Leader: This is the word of God for the People of God.
People: Thanks be to God.

God of Wonders by Maranatha Music
Lord of all creation
Of water earth and sky
The heavens are Your Tabernacle
Glory to the Lord on high
God of wonders beyond our galaxy
You are Holy, Holy
The universe declares Your Majesty
And You are holy holy
Lord of Heaven and Earth
Lord of Heaven and Earth
Early in the morning
I will celebrate the light
When I stumble in the darkness
I will call Your name by night
God of wonders beyond our galaxy
You are Holy, Holy
The universe declares Your Majesty
And You are holy holy
Lord of heaven and earth
Lord of heaven and earth
Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth
Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth
Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth
Holy... Holy... Holy God...
God of wonders beyond our galaxy
You are Holy, Holy
Precious Lord reveal your heart to me...
Father, hold me, hold me
The "universe" declares Your majesty
"You are" holy, holy, holy, holy
Halleujah to the lord of heaven and earth 9x

Holy Ground
We are standing on holy ground,
and I know that there are angels all around;
let us praise Jesus now;
we are standing in his presence on holy ground.

God of the Sparrow; God of the Whale
God of the sparrow
God of the whale
God of the swirling stars
How does the creature say Awe
How does the creature say Praise

God of the earthquake
God of the storm
God of the trumpet blast
How does the creature cry Woe
How does the creature cry Save

God of the rainbow
God of the storm
God of the empty grave
How does the creature say Grace
How does the creature say Thanks

God of the hungry
God of the sick
God of the prodigal
How does the creature say Care
How does the creature say Life

God of the neighbor
God of the foe
God of the pruning hook
how does the creature say Love
how does the creature say Peace

God of the ages
God near at hand
God of the loving heart
How do your children say Joy
How do your children say Home

Send a message to learn more

05/28/2026

Send a message to learn more

05/28/2026

Pastor’s Message “In the Beginning…”
Why are we talking about the creation of the universe on Trinity Sunday? You’ll see…
Today we heard that in the beginning, God created. God created the heavens and the earth, which we are told were formless as if in complete chaos.
That sounds familiar to me with the chaos in our world today, but the kind of chaos the Bible is referring to isn't a man-made kind of chaos, but instead, an “unsettled” state for this earthly body. I imagine it to be similar to a loosely packed snowball that would fall apart with the lightest toss. Thus, God set about forming a stable planet for us.
God continued creating throughout what we call the first week of creation by forming the sun, moon and stars, and the waters of the sky, sea and streams. God then filled those waters with fish and amazing sea creatures that Shane and I enjoy visiting when we snorkel.
But that’s not all! God also created plants! Edible plants and poisonous plants, beautiful plants and strange looking plants and trees of every kind. God created the birds of the air (and of the ground), insects and land animals of every size.
All of this creating sounds exhausting! Just imagine all of the forethought God put into each one of these creations. My wee little human brain cannot begin to comprehend how God formed the cells of plants, let alone the cells of living creatures! But yet, here we all are! Because we are the last item on God’s “To Do” list before he rested.
And, when God created man and woman, what did God say? God said, “Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness…” Who was God talking to? Who is “us” and “our”? God was speaking to Godself! Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Let us not forget that according to the beginning of John’s Gospel as he referred to Jesus, he said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.”
And where was the Holy Spirit in all of this? He was back in verse two from the book of Genesis: “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters”.
The Trinity was present and active in the creation of the universe and in our own individual creation.
All of this creation talk reminds me of an anecdote I heard a long time ago. It goes like this:
God was sitting in heaven one day when a scientist said to Him..."God, we don't NEED you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of NOTHING - in other words, we can now do what YOU did in the beginning."
Intrigued, God said, "Oh, is that so? Please explain..."
The Scientist replied, "Well, we can take dirt and form it into the likeness of... YOU... and breathe life into it! Thus creating… man!"
A slight grin crossed God’s face and he said, "Well, that's very interesting... show Me." So the scientist bent down to the earth and started to mold the soil into the shape of a man...
To which, God said, "No, no, no... Get your own dirt!"
We humans think we’re pretty clever, don’t we? We think that if we are created in the image of God, that we can play God because our minds truly cannot comprehend the astounding and majestic power of God.
And, we don’t know if this angers God or if it makes God chuckle like we chuckle at a feisty Chihuahua who has “big dog attitude”. I tend to think that God isn’t bothered by us having “big dog attitude” if we aren’t doing any harm and we are still humble before God, but what about those who take that “big dog attitude” too far? What about those who create pesticides to keep insects and animals out of our crops, but pay no mind to the damage those pesticides do to the humans who eat those crops?
At some point, our “big dog attitude” will get us into trouble if we aren’t careful. Being created in the image of God means we were designed for excellence, not to do harm.
Our job here on earth is to be good stewards of God’s creation. God told us to, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
It’s a big responsibility, but not a responsibility too great for us to manage. After all, God knows our abilities and felt that this was definitely within our means. So, if we use our “big dog attitude” for good, just imagine what we can accomplish! Clean water, clean air, a safe environment for man AND beast alike.
May our Triune God bless us with not only the inspiration to do better, but with the wisdom and ability to fix what we have harmed so future generations of both man and beast may live long, healthy lives in the beauty of God’s creation. Amen.

Send a message to learn more

05/28/2026

Waupun United Methodist Church
May 31, 2026
Trinity Sunday worship – 9:00 A.M.


Welcome to worship.
May you find the presence of God wherever you are.

We, the Waupun United Methodist Church, welcome you to GATHER with us in fellowship, GROW in faith and GO into the world to share God’s love.

At the * sign, please stand as you are able.
Bold print = Congregational Response

Prelude / Welcome / Pastoral Prayer

*Call to Worship
Leader: On this Trinity Sunday, we come to praise the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
People: We praise God who creates, redeems, and sustains all creation!
Leader: We come to wade into the depths of the divine mystery of God, the One-in-Three and Three-in-One.
People: We seek an ever-deepening faith in God who creates, redeems, and sustains all creation!
Leader: We come to witness the interconnectedness of the Triune God, to marvel at the divine dance of partnership and cooperation.
People: We receive the invitation to join the divine dance of God who creates, redeems, and sustains all creation!
Leader: Come, let us worship the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
People: Come, let us worship the Triune God who creates, redeems, and sustains all creation!

*Opening Prayer
Out of our ordinary, everyday lives, you have gathered us here, Holy God, to this time of worship and praise. We join with angels and archangels and all the company of the saints to bless you, listen for your Word, and immerse ourselves in your grace and love. Open our hearts And our minds to your presence with us. Take the chaos of the world that has found its way into our hearts. Speak your Word and give order and form a new creation within us. Take the failures and defeats, the guilt and the shame that bind our spirits — speak your Word and set us free. Then, awaken us to your Holy Spirit who is making all things new. We ask in Jesus’ name, who sends us out to speak love, mercy and grace to those who are waiting, longing and hoping for a sign that they are not alone, that you are a God of love, that you are a Saviour who knows their name, and that the Holy Spirit is leading them home. Amen.

Opening Music How Majestic by Shane & Shane

Children’s Message by Pastor Renae

First Old Testament Reading Psalm 8 (NRSVUE)
O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;
4 what are humans that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? 5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

*Hymn Red #147 on supplement All Things Bright and Beautiful

Second Old Testament Reading on supplement Genesis 1:1-2:3 (NIV)
Leader: This is the word of God for the People of God.
People: Thanks be to God.

Music God of Wonders by Maranatha Music

Pastor’s Message “In the Beginning…”

*Tithes and Offerings Black #2272 on supplement Holy Ground Prayer of Dedication

Prayers of the People Pastoral Prayer The Lord’s Prayer

Announcements

*Closing Hymn Red #122 on supplement God of the Sparrow God of the Whale

*Blessing
Pastor: Family of God, go now in the blessing of the Triune God who draws you into the divine dance, inviting you to partner in God’s life-giving work to bring flourishing and abundant life to all creation!
All: Worship has ended, now our service begins. Amen.

Today’s Worship Ministers: All of us – wherever we are
Tech Operators: Brady Bronson and Val Dolgner
Worship Music Leader: Sue Rens-Guell
Worship Leader/Preacher: Pastor Renae Dymond
Kids’ Message: Pastor Renae
Fellowship host(s): Mary Vande Zande
Counters: White/Ludjack

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Meetings
Worship Committee: Monday, June 8 @ 10am
SPRC: Tuesday, June 9 @ 10am
Trustees: Tuesday, June 9 @ 5 pm
Finance and Church Council: Friday, June 12 @ 9am
Dream Team: Friday, June 12 @ 10am
Elizabeth Circle: Tuesday, June 16 @ 1:30pm

Fill the Food Pantry!
May - Personal Items (especially toothpaste)
June - Applesauce
Continuing Need - Can Openers plus Socks and Underwear for all ages

Fun & Service
Mat Making: We will be meeting on the 1st & 3rd Monday mornings of the month at 9:00 am to work on mats.
Game Day!: On Thursday, June 25 at 1pm!

Get Ready to Rummage!
Wednesday, June 10 from 8am-6pm, Thursday, June 11 from 8am-4pm and Friday, June 12 from 8am-Noon.
We will be setting up in the Wesley Center Monday, June 8 and Tuesday, June 9 in the mornings.
Items can be dropped off in the "overflow room"next to the sanctuary at any time.

Brat Fry!!!
Friday & Saturday, July 10th & 11th
Friday & Saturday, August 28th & 29th

Vacation Bible School
This year’s VBS theme is Lava Lava Luau, focusing on learning how to understand and control our emotions in positive, faith-centered ways. We invite you to register your children or grandchildren for this special event on Friday, June 19 at uccwaupun.net. As part of VBS, we will also be supporting the Waupun Food Pantry and REACH-Waupun by collecting fruit cups and juice boxes to support the Food Pantry’s summer bag lunch program and school supplies for the REACH program.

PRAYER LIST
John O’Donovan, Joyce Berry, Ryan Giese, John Loomans, Tammy Kasuboski, Christopher Nord, Officer Joe Salazar and all who are impacted by long-term illness, for an end to all wars, for the vulnerable and those in need of food, shelter or clothing and for those around the world wishing to follow the call to Pastoral Ministry.

Remember our homebound:
Home in Waupun: Ray Dolgner
Hillside Manor, Beaver Dam: Joyce Berry
Home in Waupun: Dean and Karen Starks
Prairie Place, Ripon: Elaine Stanton
Home in Waunakee: Janette Ruck
Prairie Ridge, Waupun: Phyllis McDowell, Loni Wendt
Home in Waupun: Judy Lyon
Home in Fond du Lac: Marge Schroeder

Waupun United Methodist Church
Church phone: 920-324-9721
Church website: waupunumc.com
Church e-mail: [email protected]
Pastor’s e-mail: [email protected]
Pastor’s Cell Phone: 920-597-0121
Church page: United Methodist Church-Waupun

Send a message to learn more

05/20/2026

Waupun United Methodist Church, Waupun, WI
Worship Supplement – 5/24/2026 Sunday

Living Water by Anne Wilson
This goes out to every outcast
To the just don't quite fit in
Every wrong way, runaway rebel
So ashamed of where you've been

This goes out to every searcher
Tryin' to fill that empty space
Well, your searchin' days are over now
Everything's about to change

Come on down to the Living Water
Waves of mercy washin' over you
No more strangers, only sons and daughters
Come down to the Living Water and rise up new
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

Have you heard about a man named Jesus?
He's the way, the truth, the life
Stretched out His arms on a rugged cross
And paid ever sinner's price

So when you're tired of all your runnin'
You don't have to run no more
You can leave it all behind you
Just believe and be reborn

Come on down to the Living Water
Waves of mercy washin' over you
No more strangers, only sons and daughters
Come down to the Living Water and rise up new

Oh-oh, this is your invitation
Oh-oh, no more lost and alone
Oh-oh, this is your invitation
Hear your Father sayin', "Welcome home"
See that cross up on the steeple
Hear that sweet forgiveness song
Come and join the Jesus people
This is where we all belong
(Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh)

Come on down to the Living Water
Waves of mercy washin' over you
No more strangers, only sons and daughters
Come down to the Living Water and rise up new (and rise up new)
Come down to the Living Water and rise up new
Come down to the Living Water and rise up new

Sweet, Sweet Spirit
There’s sweet, sweet Spirit in this place,
and I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord;
there are sweet expressions on each face,
and I know they feel the presence of the Lord.

Sweet Holy Spirit, sweet heavenly dove,
stay right here with us, filling us with love,
and for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise;
without doubt we’ll know that we have been revived
when we shall leave this place.

Send the Fire by Spring Harvest Hymns
O God of burning cleansing flame
Send the fire
Your blood bought gift today we claim
Send the fire today
Look down and see this waiting host
And send the promised Holy Ghost
We need another Pentecost
Send the fire today
Send the fire today
Send the fire today
God of Elijah hear our cry
Send the fire
And make us fit to live or die
Send the fire today
To burn up every trace of sin
To bring Your light and glory in
The revolution now begins
Send the fire today
Send the fire today
It′s fire we want, for fire we plead
Send the fire
The fire will meet our every need
Send the fire today

For strength to always do what's right
For grace to conquer in the fight
The power to walk this world in white
Send the fire today
Send the fire today

To make our weak heart′s strong and brave
Send the fire
To live a dying world to save
Send the fire today

Oh, see us on Your altar lay
We give our lives to You today
To crown the offering now we pray
Send the fire today
Send the fire today
Send the fire today

Holy Ground
We are standing on holy ground,
and I know that there are angels all around;
let us praise Jesus now;
we are standing in his presence on holy ground.

Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness
Spirit, Spirit of gentleness
Blow through the wilderness
Calling and free
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness
Stir me from placidness, wind
Wind on the sea

You moved on the waters
You called to the deep
Then you coaxed up the mountains
From the valleys of sleep
And over the eons
You called to each thing
"Awake from your slumbers
And rise on your wings."

Spirit, Spirit of gentleness
Blow through the wilderness
Calling and free
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness
Stir me from placidness, wind
Wind on the sea

You swept through the desert
You stung with the sand
And you goaded your people
With a law and a land
And when they were blinded
With idols and lies
Then you spoke to your prophets
To open their eyes

Spirit, Spirit of gentleness
Blow through the wilderness
Calling and free
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness
Stir me from placidness, wind
Wind on the sea

You sang in a stable
You cried from a hill
Then you whispered in silence
When the whole world was still
And down in the city
You called once again
When you blew through your people
On the rush of the wind

Spirit, Spirit of gentleness
Blow through the wilderness
Calling and free
Sprit, Spirit of restlessness
Stir me from placidness, wind
Wind on the sea

You call from tomorrow
You break ancient schemes
From the bo***ge of sorrow
All the captives dream dreams
Our women see visions
Our men clear their eyes
With bold new decisions
Your people arise

Spirit, Spirit of gentleness
Blow through the wilderness
Calling and free
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness
Stir me from placidness, wind
Wind on the sea

Send a message to learn more

05/20/2026

Pastor’s Message “Fire and Water”
In our scripture readings today, we hear about two powerful earthly elements; fire and water. I think we all realize that not all fire and water is powerful as we hold a sparkler on the 4th of July, and we run through a lawn sprinkler to cool off from the summer heat.
However, if one of those sparks from the sparkler lands on a very flammable element, in just the right conditions of drought mixed with a strong breeze, that spark could result in a forest fire. Similarly, a single drop of water can’t do much damage unless it falls on some important paperwork and bleeds the ink all over the page. But if billions of drops of water accumulate in a torrential downpour, it could cause a flood.
So, both fire and water have the potential of being incredibly powerful. This is evident in one of our eldest son’s favorite cartoons growing up, Avatar the Last Airbender. In the cartoon, there are characters who can either control air, water, fire or earth. However, the Last Airbender named Aang can control them all. Oh, and there’s this huge flying bison named Appa who has a beautifully sassy yet protective nature.
Anyway, getting on to what’s important here… Season two of the live action version of the show will be available on Netflix on June 25! Yay!!! (Apparently, our eldest son isn’t the only one who loves this production!)
As cool as the fantasy of Last Airbender is, in our reality, there is no more powerful fire or water than those mentioned in our readings today. We first heard from Jesus as he told the crowd at the Festival of Tabernacles that he was “living water” by saying, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.”
This “living water” represents the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised to his followers. As I shared with you two weeks ago, the Holy Spirit is alive and active in believers yet today. Its power is mighty and can sweep us up like a tidal wave, yet it can be as gentle as a single drop of water. When believers receive the Holy Spirit, we never thirst for any other spiritual nourishment because we have found the Way, the Truth and the Life through Jesus Christ.
This is what those gathered people came to understand after listening to Peter preach to them at the Festival of Pentecost. That day, Peter spoke with such conviction and in every language gathered for the festival that about 3,000 people gave their life to Christ and were baptized. (I’ve referred to this before as every pastor’s dream because it is such a beautiful sight to see just ONE person repent and come to Jesus, but for thousands of people to do this in one day… that’s the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit.)
One thing about this account that I’ve never understood is how some in the crowd dismissed the disciples’ ability to speak in every language gathered for the festival that day by sneering and saying, “They are filled with new wine.” Does that make any sense?
I’ve seen plenty of alcohol-fueled individuals in my day and they can barely speak their FIRST language fluently, let alone be able to clearly speak a second or third language! After years of pondering this part of the account, I have come to the conclusion that those who accused the disciples of being drunk were either drunk themselves or their hearts were hardened so much that they were unable to understand what was being said. Who knows, maybe it was both reasons.
Nonetheless, the message DID get through to a large number of people because the disciples were powered by the Holy Spirit and “on fire for the Lord”! I like that phrase, “on fire for the Lord”. I know a lot of people who are obviously just that, and it makes me think of them as one of those disciples gathered on the day of Pentecost who each had a tongue of flame of the Holy Spirit rest upon them.
Oh, the power that filled that room! Yet no one was harmed. No one is said to have passed out due to the enormity of the events happening all around them. They were “simply” enveloped in a communal baptism by the Holy Spirit. The strength of the Spirit sweeping into that room made the sound of a rush of violent wind, which attracted the huge crowd of attentive listeners who chose to receive this gift as well.
All of this makes me even more in awe of God’s timing. Jesus boldly preached to the gathered crowds of being the “living water” at the Festival of Tabernacles, He was crucified when the crowds had gathered for the Passover Festival, and the Holy Spirit came sweeping in for the Festival of Pentecost.
Jesus’ ministry was often times carried out in small towns or as secretly as possible, but when it really mattered that the power of God be on display for the largest of crowds, there was one of the three annual pilgrimage Festivals to provide those witnesses and make the biggest impact. Only God and His perfect timing could accomplish such a task. Praise be to God. Amen.

Send a message to learn more