Happy Birthday!

Tongues of Fire

This Sunday we celebrate the festival of Pentecost, often referred to as the Church’s birthday. The word Pentecost means the fiftieth day. It was a popular Greek name for a Jewish festival that was celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover. Some 2,000 years ago, in obedience to the Law of Moses, the Apostles came to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost. The Book of Acts records:

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

God gave all those present a miraculous sign, tongues of fire that rested on the Apostles’ heads and did not burn them. The tongues of fire had a specific purpose. They pointed the people assembled there to the 3^rd Chapter of the Book of Exodus, when God spoke to Moses from the middle of a bush that burned, yet was not consumed.

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” ⁴When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

⁵“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:1-6)

The title “the angel of the Lord” or “messenger of Yahweh,” is used 63 times in the Old Testament. Generally an the term angel refers to a created being who speaks for the Lord. However, in some cases, as in Exodus 3:2-6, the “angel of the Lord” and “the Lord” are used interchangeably. Other scripture passages when the “angel of the Lord” and the Lord are used interchangeably include Genesis 16:7-13; 21:17-20; and 22:11-12, 15-18. The interchangeable use of these terms signals an appearance of God’s Son before his incarnation as Jesus of Nazareth. This “Theophany” or manifestation of God pointed to the coming of the Messiah in Jesus’ incarnation, death, resurrection and Pentecost.

We believe, trust and confess that Jesus of Nazareth was the incarnate Son of God, truly human and truly divine. His divine nature, the consuming divine fire, did not destroy His human nature; rather, His divinity and humanity co-existed indivisible.

We believe, trust and confess that God imputed or put our sins upon Jesus and like a consuming fire unleashed his burning wrath on Jesus. We believe trust and confess that Jesus suffered and died for our sin and rose again. On the first Easter Sunday Jesus appeared to the Disciples. He that was once dead was alive. He had endured the flames of death, and lived.

On the very first Pentecost Sunday the flames that came to rest on the Apostles’ heads declared that the God of the burning bush, the all consuming fire, was in them and did not consume them. The flames did not consume them because of their faith and trust in the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Apostles stood for the whole Christian Church on earth. The flames on the Apostles declared to the whole Christian Church that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the all consuming fire, dwells within us and yet does not consume us. The Holy Spirit using the Gospel of Jesus Christ creates faith in us, calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies and guide us. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19)

In Christ
Pastor Ed Skutshek, President

CALC's Constitution s Amended

Following a congregational referendum Article 9 of the Constitution of the Canadian Association of Lutheran Congregations (CALC) was amended by the addition of Section 10.

10. Meetings of the members of the Association held by electronic means.
(a) Entire meeting by electronic means. Any Annual General Convention, or any other meeting of the members of the Association, may be held entirely by means of a telephonic, an electronic or other communication facility that permits all participants to communicate adequately with each other during the meeting.

(b) Participation in an in-person meeting by electronic means. Any person entitled to attend any meeting of the members of the Association may participate in the meeting by means of a telephonic, an electronic or other communication facility that permits all participants to communicate adequately with each other during the meeting, if the National Council, acting in its sole discretion, makes available such a communication facility. A person so participating in a meeting is deemed for the purposes of CALC’s constitution and bylaws to be present at the meeting.

Subsection 4.1 of Article 10 of CALC's Constitution was amended by the addition f the highlighted and bolded phrase.

4.1 The National Council shall function as the legislative agency of this Association in the interim between General Conventions in order to deal with situations which necessitate action before the next General Convention, including the formation and appointment of ad hoc committees. Legislative acts by the National Council shall require a majority vote of all its members and must be presented to the next General Convention for review.

Pastor Ed Skutshek, President for the National Council.

Pentecost Sunday

Tongues of Fire

CALC's Constitution s Amended