지난 5월 31일 주일, 성령감림절에 성도들이 같이 모였습니다. 모든 성도들이 즐거운 만남의 시간을 가졌고, 각 가정에서 준비한 음식을 나누면서 식탁교제를 나누었습니다. 오순절을 맞기 전에 단상 앞에 걸려있던 배너도 성령강림절에 맞는 성구 (오직 성령이 너희에게 임하시면 너희가 권능을 받고 예루살렘과 온 유대와 사마리아와 땅 끝까지 이르러 내 증인이 되리라 하시니라) 를 넣은 배너로 교체되었습니다.

Pentecost Day is coming.

Please be prepared to receive the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost Sunday.

Acts1:4~5] On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ” Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

He said to them: “it is mot for you to know the times or dates that Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Most Christians refer to the week before Easter as “Holy Week”—it contains the days of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Maundy and Last Supper, as well as Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus.[9] In Western Christianity, Eastertide, or the Easter Season, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts seven weeks, ending with the coming of the fiftieth day, Pentecost Sunday. In Eastern Christianity, the season of Pascha begins on Pascha and ends with the coming of the fortieth day, the Feast of the Ascension.

Easter and the holidays that are related to it are moveable feasts that do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars which follow only the cycle of the sun; rather, its date is determined on a lunisolar calendar similar to the Hebrew calendar. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established two rules, independence of the Jewish calendar and worldwide uniformity, which were the only rules for Easter explicitly laid down by the council. No details for the computation were specified; these were worked out in practice, a process that took centuries and generated a number of controversies. It has come to be the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March, but calculations vary.

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar. In most European languages the feast called Easter in English is termed by the words for Passover in those languages and in the older English versions of the Bible, the term Easter was the term used to translate Passover. Easter customs vary across the Christian world, and include sunrise services, exclaiming the Paschal greeting, clipping the church, and decorating Easter eggs (symbols of the empty tomb). The Easter lily, a symbol of the resurrection, traditionally decorates the chancel area of churches on this day and for the rest of Eastertide. Additional customs that have become associated with Easter and are observed by both Christians and some non-Christians include egg hunting, the Easter Bunny, and Easter parades. There are also various traditional Easter foods that vary regionally.

My son and I had the opportunity to take a tour of the impressive Museum of the Bible (MOTB) in Washington, DC, before its official opening. A guide led us through the 430,000 square foot, eight floor edifice and gave us a glimpse of the extraordinary structure that will house research labs and libraries, exhibitions, classrooms, lecture halls, gathering rooms and biblical gardens.

While knowing more about the Bible doesn’t equate to truly understanding it, I’m looking forward to visiting the MOTB again soon to gain deeper insights into the Scriptures. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:15-17 that they are able to bring “wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus”, “inspired by God”, “useful to teach what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives”, able to “[correct] us when we are wrong and [teach] us to do what is right” and used by God “to prepare and equip his people to do every good work”.

When the apostle Paul wrote this passage to Timothy—his “true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2)—he did so with a warning that “in the last days there will be very difficult times” and difficult people (2 Timothy 3:1-9). Paul understood that as Timothy governed the church at Ephesus and was increasingly entrusted with missions of great importance, he needed to remain “faithful to the things that he had been taught . . . from childhood” (vv.14-15).

Like Timothy, as we cling to the truths of the Bible, we receive wisdom from God to be able to discern truth. And as we yield to the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds, He can change and transform us to be used even more effectively in the building of Christ’s kingdom (vv.15-17).

—Roxanne Robbins