June 5, 2019
“It’s Pentecost Today!” (Acts 2:1–21) “When the Day of Pentecost came….” That is how the story begins. It is the story of a new movement that eventually was called the Christian church. It is the story of how the Church received the power it needed to survive and thrive. And it all began with…“When the Day of Pentecost came…”
In my younger days I was less informed and my view of the world was much smaller so, when I read these words I assumed that it was referring to the festival day that we observe as Christians still today. But I was mistaken. “When the Day of Pentecost came…” is referring to the Jewish festival which also went by the names: Feast of Weeks and Feast of Harvest. It happened on the 50th day after the Sabbath of Passover Week (hence the name “Pente….”).
So, does that change our understanding of this day? I think it reminds us that God’s Spirit is in the business of creating and re-creating. Pentecost, our Christian version, is a re-creation. God took a special celebration and gave it new meaning for a new group of believers. Sometimes this day is called the “Birthday of the Church”, which is somewhat accurate. It is the day that God chose to shake things up a bit (more than a bit, actually) and to send the creative power of Almighty God down to the earth to infect people with the mission that Jesus had begun.
We celebrate this day by giving thanks to God for sharing the full power of the Holy Spirit with each of us. “When the Day of Pentecost came…” is really about the story of the Holy Spirit entering the lives of Jesus’ followers in new and powerful ways. And that same Spirit remains at work in the lives of Jesus’ followers to this day.
May you know the presence of God’s own Spirit as it moves you into God’s work of re-creating the world. Amen.
Pastor Mike
“It’s Pentecost Today!” (Acts 2:1–21) “When the Day of Pentecost came….” That is how the story begins. It is the story of a new movement that eventually was called the Christian church. It is the story of how the Church received the power it needed to survive and thrive. And it all began with…“When the Day of Pentecost came…”
In my younger days I was less informed and my view of the world was much smaller so, when I read these words I assumed that it was referring to the festival day that we observe as Christians still today. But I was mistaken. “When the Day of Pentecost came…” is referring to the Jewish festival which also went by the names: Feast of Weeks and Feast of Harvest. It happened on the 50th day after the Sabbath of Passover Week (hence the name “Pente….”).
So, does that change our understanding of this day? I think it reminds us that God’s Spirit is in the business of creating and re-creating. Pentecost, our Christian version, is a re-creation. God took a special celebration and gave it new meaning for a new group of believers. Sometimes this day is called the “Birthday of the Church”, which is somewhat accurate. It is the day that God chose to shake things up a bit (more than a bit, actually) and to send the creative power of Almighty God down to the earth to infect people with the mission that Jesus had begun.
We celebrate this day by giving thanks to God for sharing the full power of the Holy Spirit with each of us. “When the Day of Pentecost came…” is really about the story of the Holy Spirit entering the lives of Jesus’ followers in new and powerful ways. And that same Spirit remains at work in the lives of Jesus’ followers to this day.
May you know the presence of God’s own Spirit as it moves you into God’s work of re-creating the world. Amen.
Pastor Mike