Eight years ago on Pentecost Sunday I stood in this pulpit as a stranger to you and preached my first sermon called “Winds of the Spirit”. I was nervous. I saw the faces of many people I didn’t know. It’s hard to preach to people you don’t know! It’s hard to find words to offer meaning in the lives of persons you’ve yet to become acquainted with. In that first sermon I told you that I believed the winds of God’s spirit brought me here for a reason. Today I believe that with everything that is within me.

            In eight years we’ve become good friends, many of us. We have become a sort of family to one another. We’ve walked through the valleys and hilltops together. We’ve laughed. We’ve cried. We’ve celebrated! We’ve made difficult decisions. We’ve looked into the future together and made some wonderful plans for the future ministry of God’s church here in Burnet. And today, the winds of God’s Holy Spirit are blowing me from this place, to another place of service.  So I find myself again on Pentecost, standing before you to proclaim a time of endings and also new beginnings.

            That’s what Pentecost was, after all. A new beginning. The birth of the Christian church. A time when the winds of God’s spirit blew through Jerusalem with such great force, it could not be contained. That’s what verse 4 tells us, “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.” That mighty wind couldn’t help but change the people living there. It opened the tongues of all those speaking in different languages so that they could be understood by all! Can you imagine the excitement that must have flowed through the streets of Jerusalem that day? And the confusion?

            Today there are many emotions here. Some are sad. Some might be glad! Some of you are worried about what the future might hold, but I distinctly remember that look of worry on your face eight years ago as you received me as your first female pastor! J  Look how God has blessed us, in spite of our worry and nervousness! This morning the winds of change are blowing through another congregation that will soon be new to me.  Next Sunday morning I will be, once again, nervous as I stand in a pulpit that’s foreign to me and stare out into many new faces as I did here eight years ago.  In many ways, there will be new beginnings in Methodist congregations all over the annual conference next Sunday morning.

            This morning in the midst of all the conflicting emotions, we as a church family grieve the loss of our dear Diane. And at the same time we will celebrate the sacrament of baptism. What a blessing! What a blessing to be able to stand together and speak those words of affirmation for Mallory Claire Hughes, “we will surround this child with a community of love and forgiveness, that she may grow in her trust of God and be found faithful in her service to others.”  This baptism is a reminder for us that even in the midst of change, God’s abiding love never changes. God is always with us in times of grief, of change and times of blessing like we will celebrate in a few moments. Through this sacrament this morning, we are reminded that no matter what occurs to us in this life, God is the constant. It is God who provides continuity in itinerant ministry. Always.

            Friends, on this Pentecost Sunday, let’s remember that just as God was present in that first celebration in Jerusalem thousands of years ago, he is powerfully present with us every day of our lives. It is God who provides the stability we need in our lives. At times we celebrate new births and new beginnings, but if we think we have any control in the big picture of life, let’s remember today that we do not! And that’s not a bad thing! We are not riding in an airplane that has no pilot. Our scripture lesson reminds us this morning in verses 9-11 that people from all over the land had gathered on that Pentecost Sunday.  In Acts 1:8 Luke says, “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Friends, we are called to be witnesses all over the land….in Burnet, in Marble Falls, in Rockport and every place in between. And as United Methodists, we take that calling quite seriously. And so I go. And so Thom comes.  And through the presence of those same winds that brought me here eight years ago, the ministry of this church not only continues, it will grow and flourish and blossom! Because God is the continuity, you will continue to work and touch the lives of countless persons in our community and in our world. You have touched me in such a way that your love will go on through me, wherever I go. And that is just one of the many ways you fulfill your Gospel calling.

My friends, as I prepare to leave this week, let me thank you for your abiding love. Let me ask for forgiveness for any shortcomings or oversights I have made in my care of you. Let me thank you for your prayers that have sustained me and helped me grow as a pastor. And let me encourage you to “keep on keepin’ on”!  My friends, the winds of the Holy Spirit are blowing through this place again today and you have been given the spark of renewal that those persons in Jerusalem experienced on that first Pentecost. They were given a responsibility. You too, have been given a responsibility. You are to take this spark of God’s love and spread the fire of the Gospel! What an exciting task! What an amazing calling! And it’s been given to you!  Where will you allow the winds of God’s spirit to send you? Where will you allow those winds to blow you in new ministry to the people of Burnet? As I close this message this morning, let me do so in much the same way we began this journey together: with the reading of words from scripture. Hear these words from 2 Timothy 1:

“I am grateful to God….when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith…. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self discipline. Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord….but relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace”.

            Thanks be to God for our time of shared ministry and for the goodness of God today and every day! Amen!