Lectionary readings for Pentecost
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people, and kindle in us the fire of your love.
Collect. Almighty and ever living God, who fulfilled the promises of Easter by sending us your Holy Spirit, and opening to every race and nation the way of life eternal: keep us in the unity of your Spirit, that every tongue may tell of your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Reading. Acts 2:1-21. When the day of Pentecost had come. Pentecost marks fifty days after Passover. It was a major Jewish festival; the Festival of Weeks. Pentecost celebrated the bounty of the harvest and gave thanks to God for his blessings both physical as well as Spiritual. For the Christians it marked the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise of the outpouring of the Spirit on the disciples. As this reading will have a major emphasis for this week of the Christian calendar let us look at the reading under three headings.
1)This is God’s moment. As the Israelites journeyed to the Promised Land, God announced that if they were obedient this band of people would be a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. Exodus 19:5ff. Through disobedience this group of God’s People were forced into exile, never quite fulfilling the promise God has for them. The prophets warned and also encouraged them; in particular Jeremiah and the promise of a New Covenant, and a new beginning. Jeremiah 31:31ff. With the resurrection of the crucified Jesus whom the disciples recognised as the promised Messiah, (Christ); the promise of the New Covenant is fulfilled. Luke 24:45ff. With that fulfilment a new people of God emerges and the promise of an obedient people comes into being. Speaking of this new band of people Peter says’ “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9f. The plan of God was taking shape.
2) This is God’s method. The Spirit fell on each one and until today it is not possible to be a Christian without the Spirit. As Romans 8, verse 9 says. “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” The promise from Jeremiah had been accomplished. The Spirit came to each one; no-one was omitted. The Spirit of God fell on all. This coming turned ritual into reality, the longed for time had come. Finally the Spirit is poured out on all flesh. It is the Spirit who teaches what Christ has done and it is the Spirit who enables each believer to trust in what Christ has done for salvation.
3) The renewed Believers take out God’s Message. Empowered by the Spirit Peter declares to the crowd all that Jesus has achieved through his death and resurrection. Here was the clear message of God’s salvation presented in the ministry of Jesus. Now through the presence of the Spirit they could all hear and more importantly believe what God had accomplished. Once God’s presence was linked to Law and now in Jesus God’s presence is linked through relationship. Perhaps we might think of the way the Father runs to embrace the Prodigal Son on his return; ready and willing to embrace this new beginning from that which was lost. (Luke 15:24) Certainly Luke’s description of the coming paints a picture of both excitement and energy. Within this new relationship the Spirit comes to equip people for service, empowering and shaping each believer in a unique way to the glory of God. Not only were they equipped but the reading also conveys the power and energy that the Spirit brought to this the Early Church. The Spirit’s presence that empowered the early Church is the same presence that continues today to empower the Christian Church for love and service in the name of Jesus.
Prayer. Holy Lord, we thank you for the gifts the Spirit gives to the church. We pray that as the body of Christ we may use those gifts wisely and in all ways bring glory to You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Through the power of your Spirit your eternal presence is always with us until that time when we will all participate fully in your New Creation: Trusting always in the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
Jesus said: ‘I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever; this is the Spirit of truth.’ John 14:16-17
Reading. John 14:8-17;[25-27] There are two parts to this reading; the first part is the gift of knowing the nature of the Father through the person and ministry of Jesus; then secondly the prayer of Jesus for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Within this reading lies the mystery of the Christian Faith for it reminds us that the Father and the Son are indivisibly united. Thus if you know of Jesus you know of the Father for the nature and the intention are identical in each. What the Father wants, the Son wants and so it is the obedience of the Son that reminds us of the relationship the one has for the other. The ministry of Jesus gave singular honour to the Father. The love and care and welcome that Jesus displays is exactly what the Father wants to be displayed. Though sometimes it seems that the New Testament shows a softer approach to people, a careful reading of the Old Testament shows that the love of God has always been present. (For example.) When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. … I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them. Hosea 11:1 & 4
Connected to both the Father and the Son is of course the Holy Spirit and it is this dynamic union which gives effective power to the Christian Faith. What emerges from this group of three is the mystery of the Trinity. Because it is a mystery we should not use all our attention trying to understand it, sometimes we simply have to accept it and move on. The relationships within the Trinity is what is of greatest interest for each aspect of God is inter-related with each other. This is in every sense of the word a dynamic relationship. (Even as I write these sentences I remember our theological professor giving us this admonishment when preparing to write an essay on the Trinity, “Do not write too much for it only tells me how much you don’t know!”. ) The Trinity is a mystery and sometimes that is the best thing that we can say. However for our reading today as Jesus prays that the Father will give believers the Holy Spirit we see that with the coming of the Holy Spirit comes every aspect of the God-head. The Spirit is not an added extra but brings to each believer the complete work of all that Jesus has done. The Spirit helps us to live the Christian life, helps us grasp what Jesus has done on our behalf and through our relationship with the Spirit we learn and grow as Christians. Just as the Trinity is bound together through relationship, so we are linked to God through a relationship. It is a relationship made possible through the forgiveness and cleansing that the cross accomplished but it is our ongoing relationship that gives both life and power to our Christian walk.
Prayer. Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as we come to you in prayer, guide our hearts and our minds that all we are may be subject to your will. Grant us the power of obedience that we may respond to you with love and adoration. Have mercy on us for the times when we stray from your ways and follow paths of our own devising. As the psalmist said, “Create in us a clean heart of God and renew a right spirit within us” Only through your guidance and grace can we serve you faithfully, so we ask; refresh your Spirit’s power within us that we may honour and serve you. For this we pray, though Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Collect. Risen Lord, present with us, your promise is peace; through the Spirit of God, help us to believe your word that your peace may be ours, now and for evermore. Amen.
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