Editors Note: The message this Sunday comes from a
sermon given by Deacon Joy Edwards, the Sunday after
Pentecost. As we struggle in this country to listen with
compassion and hear without rancor, may this message
remind us we are all God’s children, united in our desire
to walk in the way of love.
The day after Pentecost Sunday, we re-enter the
green days of ordinary time. These are the days,
weeks, and months when we are given a breathing
space to allow the seeds of faith planter within us.
During our celebrations of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter
and Pentecost begin to take root and grow within
us, enriching our lives and allowing us to be transformed
by the mysteries we celebrate.
In this sense, these days are in fact, extraordinary
times ….a time to reflect, remember, and to renew our
commitment to live as disciples of The Risen Lord.
On Pentecost Sunday we recall how the Holy Spirit
came to the men and women in the upper room. And
part of the wonder of that first Pentecost was the unity;
the communion, created by the Holy Spirit Who
brought the women and men together as The Church.
The fact that diverse people from different lands who
spoke different languages, heard the first Christians
speaking in a language that everyone was able to understand,
the Holy Spirit had empowered the church
to praise God and to proclaim the Good News with
one voice. Individuals who had been isolated by their
own fear and uncertainty had entered into a new relationship
with one another, drawn together by nothing
less than the power of God.
Holy Trinity Sunday also gives us a chance to recall
that god whom we love is……. “One God in the
Holy Trinity and the Trinity in Unity”. …
Whether at church or at conventions; wherever we
are, The Holy Spirit is with us as he was the night I
was at a convention in Dallas Texas in January of
- The speaker at the convention was a priest
from England leading us in pray and scripture
about the Holy Spirit. Th priest asked all 1700 of
us to stand up – to sing songs in tongues.
I was sitting in the back of the auditorium with
my fellow church members . As we listened to the
priest as he told us to raise our arms to Heaven.
Then he proceeded to tell us to sing; individually,
in tongues, quietly. I could hear soft singing, so
beautiful!
I stood with my arms up to Heaven and tried
and tried but could not sing in tongues. My friend
standing next to me gave up and sat down. I kept
trying. Then the priest said, “Sing a song you know.”
Quietly. I wanted to sing in tongues; not just a song I
knew. I prayed and prayed and prayed. Then all of a
sudden, the holy spirit gave me three words…… Oh
my gosh, with tears running down my face I sang the
three words He gave me.
One day the prisoners wanted to know how to talk
in tongues. I told them, “I don’t know.” But I knew I
would be telling them about that time in Dallas when
we were asked to sing in tongues.
Let me tell you about forensics so you will understand
about telling them about talking in tongues.
The state mental hospital I was working in was for
prisoners only. And also, the only forensic unit in Missouri.
The prisoners would plead temporary insanity
for their crimes, thinking they would get out early. It
didn’t matter if one was a murder, and another stole
a poor box from a church, they could remain in forensics
or get out earlier than their sentence…if the
meds worked. Quite a diverse gathering of men and
women….
So, I prayed about telling the prisoners about talking
in tongues. “Yes” came the answer from my prayers.
The following Sunday, I told the prisoners that the
Holy Spirit had given me three words that day at the
convention.
I E……
I O……
I A……
They were so happy! They tried and tried to figure
out what the words meant but it didn’t happen. At
least not then.
Five months later came Pentecost. We said the
words IE, IO, IA; over and over again. Still we didn’t
know what the words meant. Yet still, we were so
happy just to have those three words.
That night at home, reading scripture, the Holy
Spirit came to me, and gave me the meaning of the
three words.
I E….God….Is love
I O….Jesus….I come
I A….Holy Spirit….I am always with you.
The following week I told the prisoners what the
words meant. They were filled with tears of joy as
I was. We all held our arms up in the air and sang
those three words. Not quietly at all. The room filled
with so much love from those three words of The Holy
Trinity. We all felt it.
It has been from 2004-2019; fifteen years and I
have never even contemplated sharing with anyone
else the story of the three words and what they are.
IE, IO, IA – God loves – Jesus comes – Holy Spirit, I
am always with you
MAY THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST,
THE LOVE OF GOD, AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT BE WITH YOU ALWAYS
ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!
