Pentecost Musings

Sunday, May 27, 2012
Day of Pentecost

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Ann Patterson

INTRODUCTION

On the fiftieth day of Easter we celebrate the Spirit, through whom and in whom the people of God are created and re-created. Pentecost is sometimes called the church's birthday, but might more appropriately be called its baptism day, since the gift of the Spirit is the fullness of baptism. Ezekiel's vision shows the Spirit resurrecting and re-creating not just individuals but a whole people. Romans makes it clear that God is in the process of re-creating the entire cosmos; yet the Spirit is also at work in the most intimate and personal way, praying in us "with sighs too deep for words" when we do not know how to pray.

John Calvin, renewer of the church, died 1564
Gifted both as a systematic theologian and as an interpreter of scriptures, Calvin embraced the Reformation, and as a preacher in Geneva, Switzerland, brought a theocratic government to it. He is regarded as the father of the Reformed churches.

Prayer of the Day (ELW)

Mighty God, you breathe life into our bones, and your Spirit brings truth to the world.
Send us this Spirit, transform us by your truth, and give us language to proclaim your gospel, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

First Reading

Acts 2:1–21

Originally Pentecost was a Jewish thanksgiving-type festival celebrated seven weeks after Passover. On this particular Pentecost, however, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the entire community of believers just as Jesus had promised and the scriptures had prophesied. Empowered by the Spirit, the entire community bears witness to God’s activity in multiple languages.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
⁵Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs — in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" ¹³But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."
¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
¹⁷'In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.
²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

Psalm (ELW)

Psalm 104:24–34, 35b

Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth. (Ps. 104:30)

²⁴How manifold are your ^| works, O LORD!

In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full ^| of your creatures.

²⁵Yonder is the sea, great and wide,

with its swarms too man- ^| y to number,

living things both ^| small and great.

²⁶There go the ships ^| to and fro,

and Leviathan, which you made for the ^| sport of it.

²⁷All of them ^| look to you

to give them their food ^| in due season. R

²⁸You give it to them; they ^| gather it;

you open your hand, and they are filled ^| with good things.

²⁹When you hide your face, ^| they are terrified;

when you take away their breath, they die and return ^| to their dust.

³⁰You send forth your Spirit, and they ^| are created;

and so you renew the face ^| of the earth.

³¹May the glory of the LORD en- ^| dure forever;

O LORD, rejoice in ^| all your works. R

³²You look at the earth ^| and it trembles;

you touch the mountains ^| and they smoke.

³³I will sing to the LORD as long ^| as I live;

I will praise my God while I ^| have my being.

³⁴May these words of ^| mine please God.

I will rejoice ^| in the LORD.

^35bBless the LORD, ^| O my soul.

Hal- ^| lelujah! R

Second Reading

Romans 8:22–27

By pouring the Holy Spirit into our hearts, God gives us the promised first fruit of eternal life so that we await God’s future in hope. In the meantime, the Spirit also intercedes for us by carrying the prayers of our weak human hearts to God.

²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; ²³and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
²⁶Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. ²⁷And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Gospel

John 15:26–27; 16:4b–15

When speaking to his disciples before his death, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as "the Helper" and described the difference the Spirit would make in their lives and in the world.

Chapter 15

²⁶When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. ²⁷You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

Chapter 16

^4b
"I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. ⁵But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' ⁶But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. ⁷Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹about sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; ¹¹about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
¹²I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Reflection

On the first Pentecost, the disciples and others of Jesus' followers were together in one room. They were united as Jesus had wanted them to be. Indeed, it's not surprising that these first Christians clung together. We can only imagine the pain they had suffered. They'd known Jesus, and then they'd lost him to a brutal, shameful death. Perhaps on that day they were praying and sharing memories. They probably wouldn't have talked about a "personal" Savior. They needed to affirm that others shared their faith. They needed the support of other Christians. They needed the Comforter Jesus had promised. Perhaps they needed a movement.

Suddenly a strong wind filled the house, and tongues of fire rested upon their heads. The Spirit was poured out upon them, and they began to speak in tongues. Ultimately, they burst from the room and went outside where thousands of pilgrims heard them speak in their own language. Even in its earliest days, the Church was empowered for an inclusive ministry.

During the many years that have passed since that first Pentecost, the Spirit has transformed countless lives. We, like those first Church members, share the mystery and walk the Christian path together. Like them, we long for God's fire which comes again and again and remakes our lives. Let us stay open to the Spirit and grow in holiness.

QUOTE

Destitute of the Fire of God, nothing else counts; possessing Fire, nothing else matters.

Samuel Chadwick

Let us pray that the Spirit may

• bring peace and unity to all mankind
• be poured out on the poor, the sick, and the lonely
• open our hearts to the new life that God would have us live