Holy Spirit Coming by He Qi
This past Sunday was Pentecost Sunday. On this day, we remember the story told in Acts 2:1-21 which tells the story of the Holy Spirit coming upon the first Christians.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Jesus had promised that this was going to happen just a few days earlier when he said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
But, Pentecost Sunday is not just about remembering something that happened a long time ago. It is about “re-living” the experience of Pentecost and “re-encountering” the power of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit was not just given to the first few Christians. The power is available to every person that follows Jesus today. In the Apostle Peter’s Pentecost sermon, he says, “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
On Pentecost Sunday we are invited to experience life in the power of the Spirit. We are called to remember that the mission of growing the Kingdom is too big and too important for us to accomplish on our own power. The first Christians were told to wait for the empowerment of the Spirit before they began the work of being witnesses to the world. The work was that important – they needed POWER beyond their own strength. The mission continues and we need the power too!
So, how do you need to encounter the power of the Spirit? What are you giving your life to you desperately need a power beyond yourself?
A Prayer from the Revised Common Lectionary:
Living God,
you have created all that is.
Send forth your Spirit to renew and restore us,
that we may proclaim your good news
in ways and words
that all will understand and believe. Amen.
