A Message from Jessica Patchett                           Friday, May 13, 2016

Dear Friends,

This weekend, the church celebrates the day of Pentecost, which the book of Acts tells us was when the early followers of Jesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

In the Middle Ages, church architects installed what they called 'Holy Ghost holes' into the ceilings of cathedrals to symbolize the entrance of the Holy Spirit into the congregation. When Pentecost came, people decorated these Holy Ghost holes with flowers or lowered a dove through them while priests read the story of Pentecost in worship. While the Covenant Sanctuary doesn't have a Holy Ghost hole (to my knowledge), we will enjoy a beautiful art installation in all of our worship spaces this weekend, thanks to the Worship Arts team. 

Now, if you're anything like Alexandre Dumas' character, La Ram�e, you might be asking, "Now what has Pentecost got to do with me?"

Glad you asked. 

When we're confronted with difficult decisions or life just gets particularly busy, a lot of people start asking questions like, 'How do I decide which way to go?' or 'How do I decide what matters most right now?'

For me, the gift of the Holy Spirit has been like receiving a red thread. In Greek mythology, Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, King of Crete, is charged with overseeing the labyrinth and the flesh-eating monster of the labyrinth, Minotaur. The labyrinth is where King Minos would direct defeated military opponents to make human sacrifices as part of making reparations for Crete's losses in battle. 

One day, the Athenians sent their seven men and seven women, but among the delegation was the son of their King Aegeus, Theseus, who decided to come not as a sacrifice, but to try to kill the Minotaur. When Ariadne saw Theseus, she fell in love, and decided to help him by giving him a sword and a ball of red thread, so that he could find his way out of the labyrinth. 

So, what do you do when you've received a red thread? Start following it... because we all want to find our way out of the labyrinths of dead ends and away from the monsters that threaten. 

Join me in worship this Sunday and we'll talk about God's gift of the Holy Spirit and some equally fantastical stories, one of which you can go ahead and read here.

With hope,


    Jessica
 
Jessica Patchett, associate minister

 

Worship Services this Sunday
Traditional 
Contemporary
Evan Amo preaching 
Jessica Patchett preaching 
Jessica Patchett preaching 
Jessica Patchett by video 
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