They Dared to Inhale: God’s Breath and the Birth of the Church - Sermon for Pentcost Sunday, May 24, 2026

SummaryOn the Day of Pentecost, Mother Suzanne invites her congregation to celebrate the birthday of the church — the moment when the Holy Spirit transformed a small, frightened group of 120 disciples into a fearless, Spirit-filled body of thousands. Just as the disciples were empowered to go into the world as the hands and feet of Jesus, so too are believers today called to inhale God's breath and carry that same Spirit into their communities. Mother Suzanne closes by inviting those who have been led to Grace Church to sign the Book of Belonging and claim it as their spiritual home.THE GOSPEL John 20:19-23When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”Artwork:  The Pentecost