The Pastor’s Page
June News Letter
The month of June will be full of festive celebration at Zion’s Church! Three of the six major festivals of the church year fall in June this year. Can you name all six of the major church festivals? They are: Christmas Day, the Epiphany of our Lord, the Resurrection of our Lord (Easter Day), the Ascension of our Lord, the Day of Pentecost, and the Holy Trinity. It is the last three that will come in June, and they fall three weeks in a row—Ascension Sunday will be celebrated on June 2nd, the Day of Pentecost on June 9th, and Holy Trinity Sunday on June 16th.
The festival of the Ascension celebrates the return of the risen Christ to heaven following forty days of resurrection appearances to his disciples. Ascension technically falls on Thursday, May 30th (forty days after Easter), but we celebrate it as “Ascension Sunday” on the following Sunday. In many Christian countries around the world Ascension Day is a festival equal in importance to Christmas and Easter. In the U.S., Mennonite and Amish farmers will not be plowing their fields on this Thursday. On Ascension Sunday we will celebrate Christ’s return to heaven where, as we say in the Apostles’ Creed, “he is seated as the right hand of the Father” and reigns as king of heaven and earth. This also marks the day that Jesus handed on to his disciples the task of spreading the gospel and ministering in his name, and our worship service this day will conclude with a special “Rite for Affirming the Vocation of Christians in the World.”
The Day of Pentecost is the centerpiece of our celebrations in June. The word “Pentecost,” which means “fifty” in Greek, is the culmination of the fifty days of the Easter season. On this day we celebrate the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to his disciples that he would not leave them alone, but send the Holy Spirit to be with them as their Counselor, Comforter, and Advocate. God’s sending of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost is described in the book of Acts as being like “tongues of flame” that rested on the head of each apostle, and hence the traditional liturgical color for this day is red—the color of fire. So remember to wear something red to church on Pentecost and be on fire with the Holy Spirit! Here at Zion’s we will also be celebrating Confirmation Sunday on this day, as six of our young people will affirm their faith in Christ and be confirmed in their faith. We pray that the Holy Spirit will fill them, inspire them, lead them and guide them the rest of their lives.
The first Sunday after Pentecost is the last of the six major festivals—The Holy Trinity, also known as Trinity Sunday. This was the last of the major church festivals to be introduced into the church’s calendar around the year 1,000 A.D. This is a unique festival in that it celebrates not an event in the history of the church, but a church doctrine. The festival of the Holy Trinity is the most theological of the church’s festivals. On this day we acknowledge the mystery of the triune God who has revealed himself to us in three ways: as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We humbly confess on this day that while God has given us much revelation as to his nature and will, to fully know God is impossible. We strain to express our knowledge of God in the creeds of the Church, but ultimately God’s revelation in Jesus Christ shows us as much as we can know of God in this world. We know God most fully through his triune love for us, as revealed in the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. We end the “festive “half” of the church year celebrating God’s never-ending love.
Please make a commitment to be present in worship for all three of these major, but often overlooked festivals of the Church Year!
Looking forward to a festive and joyous month of June!
The festival of the Ascension celebrates the return of the risen Christ to heaven following forty days of resurrection appearances to his disciples. Ascension technically falls on Thursday, May 30th (forty days after Easter), but we celebrate it as “Ascension Sunday” on the following Sunday. In many Christian countries around the world Ascension Day is a festival equal in importance to Christmas and Easter. In the U.S., Mennonite and Amish farmers will not be plowing their fields on this Thursday. On Ascension Sunday we will celebrate Christ’s return to heaven where, as we say in the Apostles’ Creed, “he is seated as the right hand of the Father” and reigns as king of heaven and earth. This also marks the day that Jesus handed on to his disciples the task of spreading the gospel and ministering in his name, and our worship service this day will conclude with a special “Rite for Affirming the Vocation of Christians in the World.”
The Day of Pentecost is the centerpiece of our celebrations in June. The word “Pentecost,” which means “fifty” in Greek, is the culmination of the fifty days of the Easter season. On this day we celebrate the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to his disciples that he would not leave them alone, but send the Holy Spirit to be with them as their Counselor, Comforter, and Advocate. God’s sending of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost is described in the book of Acts as being like “tongues of flame” that rested on the head of each apostle, and hence the traditional liturgical color for this day is red—the color of fire. So remember to wear something red to church on Pentecost and be on fire with the Holy Spirit! Here at Zion’s we will also be celebrating Confirmation Sunday on this day, as six of our young people will affirm their faith in Christ and be confirmed in their faith. We pray that the Holy Spirit will fill them, inspire them, lead them and guide them the rest of their lives.
The first Sunday after Pentecost is the last of the six major festivals—The Holy Trinity, also known as Trinity Sunday. This was the last of the major church festivals to be introduced into the church’s calendar around the year 1,000 A.D. This is a unique festival in that it celebrates not an event in the history of the church, but a church doctrine. The festival of the Holy Trinity is the most theological of the church’s festivals. On this day we acknowledge the mystery of the triune God who has revealed himself to us in three ways: as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We humbly confess on this day that while God has given us much revelation as to his nature and will, to fully know God is impossible. We strain to express our knowledge of God in the creeds of the Church, but ultimately God’s revelation in Jesus Christ shows us as much as we can know of God in this world. We know God most fully through his triune love for us, as revealed in the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. We end the “festive “half” of the church year celebrating God’s never-ending love.
Please make a commitment to be present in worship for all three of these major, but often overlooked festivals of the Church Year!
Looking forward to a festive and joyous month of June!
