Acts 2 in Edmond, OK

A Reading & Reflection from Chantelle Foster:
I deeply resonated with the part of Pastor Mark’s sermon last Sunday where he talked about our spiritual transformation always being for the sake of others. Pastor Mark said, “Our goal is to be more kind, more loving, more generous, more physically able, so that we can bless others.” If this is something we believe, we cannot see ourselves as superior to others.

A Reading & Reflection from Dr. Robert Gorrell:
John Milton wrote the epic poem Paradise Lost. It is considered by many to be the greatest literary work in the English language. Milton wrote Paradise Lost after he had already gone blind. He was also living in abject poverty. The greatest writer in the English language made about $2,000 in modern dollars in his entire career as a writer.

A Reading & Reflection from Madelyn Thane:
It is easy to misinterpret what it means to be “chosen.” Sometimes we hear that word and associate it with exclusivity. We can easily confuse being chosen with being better.

But Peter’s words offer us a much needed dose of humility. While we are a chosen people—a people set apart—we are not a people set above. Everything we are now, and everything we have, is a gift of pure grace. Our calling is to live differently, not out of pride, but out of a deep sense of response.