Lectionary for Pentecost year B
Opening sentence. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak only what he hears. John 16:13
Collect. Father of all light, you are the giver of every good and perfect gift. Let your Spirit come upon us in power, that, afire with your love, we may in all things proclaim the lordship of Christ, to the honour and praise of your great and glorious name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading. Ezekiel 37:1-14. Ezekiel’s prophecy is delivered from Babylon. By the time of our reading Ezekiel is an old man. The people have been in exile for many years and Jerusalem and the temple are in ruins, destroyed by king Nebuchadnezzar. Ezekiel has a vision of his ancestral homeland. For us in Australia with so many arid regions the picture of dry bones, bleached by the scorching sun is easy to imagine. For Ezekiel they represented the crushed hopes of the exiles in Babylon. Residing in exile the constant question would be, “Will we ever return to our homeland?”. The Lord asks that very question to Ezekiel and his response is simple, “Only you know Lord!”
Ezekiel is commanded to prophecy to the dry bones and they come to life. Then again he speaks to the now living bones and the breath, (the spirit) comes into them and fully alive they stand on their feet.
In the final section of our passage it becomes clear that the prophecy is directed at the people and the message is that despite how hopeless their situation seems the Lord will return them to their own land. Not only will they return but they will also have a spiritual renewal that will reconnect them with the Lord who has brought them to a new life.
For the people in exile this message would have brought a message of hope and an encouragement to to live in the expectation of a return to their home. In today’s world there are millions of people who would love to hear that message directed to them.
Even for us as Christians this passage brings a real sense of hope for it speaks to us of a renewal of the Spirit in our own lives and also in the life of the church across the world. We live in a era where in many countries Christians are being persecuted for their faith. Similarly in many what we might call traditionally Christians countries the principles and the values of Christianity are no longer considered or respected. The message from Ezekiel is that above all God is sovereign and nothing will prevent God’s victory from being fulfilled. Through the victory of Jesus, God’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and so Christians can live in hope for God will overcome all opposition.
Prayer. Almighty God, you are the Lord of all creation and all things work at your command. We thank you for the hope that is in you and for the assurance that faith in you brings. Speak to us through your holy word, and grant that the presence of your Holy Spirit will refresh our hearts and fill us with love for you and for all of creation. Grant that the dry bones of our faith may be refined and revived by the power of your love and be ready to stand for you. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Reading. Acts 2:1-21. Pentecost was a well known Jewish festival, originally celebrating the harvest that had been gathered. By the time of Jesus Pentecost had become a celebration of the Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai and presented to the people. The Law formed the basis for the Covenant between God and the people and so for the Jews Pentecost celebrated the renewal of the Covenant. The coming of the Spirit on this special Jewish day of celebration emphasises that faith in Jesus is no longer based on the Law of Moses but on the power and presence of the Spirit.
Luke does not tell us where the miraculous event rook place, it was perhaps the upper room where Jesus celebrated his final Passover with them. The important message is that they were all together. The Holy Spirit came to each one of the believers, no one was absent, and nobody missed out on this filling. There are some reminders of the Spirit’s coming; the sounds of the wind, the warming or the sight of the tongues of fire and the reaction of those present. Not only did they all speak in languages other than their own but they also spoke with a purpose, “speaking about God’s great deeds of power!” (Verse11)
Today some celebrate Pentecost as the birthday of the church but in reality the church was born through the resurrection of Jesus: It was then that sinners were reconciled to God and could join in relationship with God due to the merits of Jesus Christ. Luke is reminding us that Pentecost was the empowering of the church for it was after this event of the Spirit’s out pouring that believers began to speak words that were enabled by the Spirit. The followers of Jesus were all together, they all believed in Jesus and they were all looking forward to the coming of the Spirit as promised by Jesus and prophesied by the prophet Joel. (verse 17)
Paul reminds us that, “For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13). In other words the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the church for without the Spirit there is no church. Jesus taught the disciples much about the Spirit. The Spirit speaks the truth that comes from Christ and it was this truth that was declared to all those assembled that day in Jerusalem. Not all believed but the passage tells us that from this point in history the Good News of Jesus and the wonderful deeds of God are declared by the church throughout the world. It was the power of the Spirit that charged the whole church and empowered each believer to bravely declare that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. The powerful presence of the Spirit that filled the church that day equipped each of the believers to continue the mission of Jesus to draw all who believe into the kingdom of God.
Prayer. Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ you sent the promised fire of the Spirit to touch the heads of ordinary people and empowered them to boldly speak out in the name of Jesus. Lord today we pray that you would refresh the whole church with the powerful presence of the Spirit, that the word of Jesus would be proclaimed faithfully in every place. Grant Lord that hearts would be open to hear the truth and turn and believe the Good News that Jesus has conquered sin and death. And Lord we pray that we too may be filled afresh with love for you by the Spirit’s presence. May the breath of your new life blow into our hearts and lives chasing away our darkness and filling us with your peace. Help us to show the power of your love in all that we do. We ask all these prayers through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
Collect. Risen Christ, you send the Spirit of God and bring us to freedom; may we be brought to all truth, and in truth find the joy of your presence with us now and for ever. Amen.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy his consolations. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer to the Holy Spirit: Upper Room 2002)
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