Lectionary for Pentecost.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people; and kindle in us the fire of your love.
The day of Pentecost had come, and they were all together in one place. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Acts 2:1, 4
Collect. Let us pray (for the power of the Holy Spirit): Almighty God, who on the day of Pentecost sent your Holy Spirit to the disciples with the wind from heaven and with tongues of flame, filling them with joy and boldness to preach the gospel: send us out in the power of the same Spirit to witness to your truth and to draw everyone to the fire of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reading. John 7:37-39. This passage written after the Ascension reminds us that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is linked to the victory that the ministry of Jesus achieved. The festival that Jesus is attending in Jerusalem is the festival of Tabernacles. (Lev 23:33) It was a joyful celebration which called to mind the journey made through the wilderness and on into the Promised Land. It was a celebration filled with hope; the hope of God’s future promise of salvation. Conducted at the end of the year it anticipated the New Year with optimism.
During each day of the festival the priest would pour a golden container of water over the altar in the temple, looking forward to the rains which would bring the harvest but it was also looking forward to the time when God would pour out his Spirit and bring the Messiah to liberate Israel. The festival looked forward to a time of freedom, prosperity and security. Thus the festival was conducted with a joyful sense of expectation. For it recounted the words from the prophet Isaiah who had prophesied, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation!” (Isaiah 12:3)
It was into that setting that Jesus makes his statement, making it all the more dramatic by standing and with a loud voice calling out his announcement. He is not teaching for a teacher sat to teach. By standing he is like a Town Crier informing the people of an event or an action that is now taking place. Furthermore Jesus is also drawing attention to himself as the giver of the living water of salvation.
We remember that John is looking back to this event and so reminding the believers that the living water of the Sprit is poured out after the cross and resurrection and so the gift of the Spirit is given by Jesus direct from the throne of grace where he is now seated, i.e. glorified.
It is a reminder that the nourishment from Jesus comes to all believers through the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit protects and sustains and also equips each believer to serve in Jesus’ name.
Prayer. Holy Lord, we thank you for the Living Water that Jesus brings; water that refreshes and sustains us each and every day. We thank you for His unfailing love and for his sacrifice which continues to bring the forgiveness that we need to stay close to you. We thank you that through your gifts from the Holy Spirit the ministry on earth can continue until that day when our Lord returns in triumph. In all things we give you praise and honour, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Reading. Acts 2:1-21. This passage is very familiar and has many interesting points. Pentecost is a Greek word meaning fifty. In the Jewish calendar this event occurred fifty days after Passover and was called the Festival of Weeks. It was like a harvest festival for it marked the beginning of the wheat harvest. It was a celebration of God’s faithfulness and provision. Pentecost then is the Christian name for the harvest that the power of the Holy Spirit gave to the church. Jesus had promised an outpouring of the Holy Spirit which would give power from on high to continue the work that Jesus came to do.
They were “all together” and so it is the whole community that is blessed and empowered. All receive a blessing from the Spirit and the visible sign of this gifting is that they all begin to speak in other languages.
The church has lived through an era where this ability to speak in a language which has not been learned has assumed perhaps a greater significance than was intended in this passage. In Luke’s description the emphasis is not on the ability to speak in a foreign tongue, (though this is undoubtably true), but that as they spoke they declared God’s deeds of power. The Holy Spirit gave to the whole community the ability to witness to the power and promise of God, made visible in Jesus Christ!
Luke describes a gathering of people who have come from many different nations. This would be in accord with the usual Jewish gathering for the festival of Weeks for it was more popular even than Passover.
It is to this varied gathering that the first Christian sermon is preached. Peter addresses the sceptics by reminding them that is early in the day. Then he quickly moves on to link what he has to say, with the promise from the Hebrew Scriptures familiar to all the hearers. The prophecy from Joel anticipated the Day of the Lord, a day which would re-establish the nation of Israel as God’s People and usher in the promised Messiah. This future promise longingly anticipated by the people was also linked with the Festival of Weeks that was being celebrated. Peter draws together all these hopes and dreams and powerfully points to Jesus as the one who will bring God’s salvation to all who call on the name of the Lord.
As Christians Pentecost is a day of celebration. It is often described as the birthday of the church which is not strictly accurate for the church was born when Jesus rose from the tomb as the Head of the Church but it is the empowering of the church. This was the day when the whole church was empowered to declare that Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. That empowering did not stop at Pentecost but continues on today: only through the empowering of the Holy Spirit can the Church declare the true message that the life and death and resurrection of Jesus accomplished. With that in mind it is a day of celebration!
Prayer. Almighty and everlasting God we give you all thanks and praise for the Day of Pentecost when from the throne of grace our Lord Jesus Christ gave the promised Holy Spirit to fall upon the Church, bringing the gift to preach justice, peace and power within your perfect love. We give you thanks that Pentecost reminds us that Father, Son and Holy Spirit bring the unity which constantly maintains the life of the Church. We pray that as we receive your gifts we may use them wisely to honour the Name of Jesus our Lord. Fill us afresh with your peace and love that we may go out as your people and in word and deed declare your love and salvation. This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect. Jesus, breathe upon us today as you breathed upon the disciples; fill us with your Spirit of peace and send us out to be your people, for you live as the Risen One, now and for ever. Amen.
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