All scriptures are from The Message Version
Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Passover, was one of three pilgrimage feast to which all Jews able to do so were to worship at the temple. It celebrates the harvest and giving of first fruits to God. During Jesus’ time some associated it with the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, the birth of Judaism.
This post is intended to help the reader personalize the words and thoughts in the scriptures. It works well if shared between two or more people as a conversation but there is much to be gained by just considering the questions for yourself. Commentaries for the lectionary scripture can be found on Textweek through this link Textweek.com
For Christians Pentecost was a time when God’s Spirit descended upon the disciples just as it did at the time of Jesus’ baptism:
Luke 2: 21-22 After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life."
As we contemplate the scripture for today a question for all of us is when did the Spirit become a part of our lives? Was it sudden as in this story? What difference has it made? Let’s look at the disciples story:
Acts 2:1-4 When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.
5-11There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn't for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, "Aren't these all Galileans? How come we're hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?
Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;
Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene;
Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes;
Even Cretans and Arabs!
"They're speaking our languages, describing God's mighty works!"
12Their heads were spinning; they couldn't make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: "What's going on here?"
13Others joked, "They're drunk on cheap wine."
• What catches your attention in the first four verses? What words are important? What do you imagine the disciples felt as they began to speak in “different languages.”
• How do you imagine the scene as the disciples began to speak? What was their tone of voice? Was any of the communication one on one? The reaction of some was that the disciples were drunk, what does that tell us about the event?
• Have you ever found yourself, as part of a Christian group, being caught up in an something unexpected? Was there a sense of the presence of the Spirit in the doing of it? Did your experience have any of the elements of this story?
• Can concern about the reaction of others a constraint to seeking or acting on the Spirit’s leading? How does this play out in our lives or the actions of a faith community?
• What were the disciples speaking about? What is the reaction of some to the description of God’s mighty works? What had been accomplished by the disciple’s reaction to the Spirit’s presence? What seemed to be the reaction to what the crowd saw and heard?
• Have you ever been so enthusiastic about your faith that you spoke to someone else about it? What were the circumstances and reactions? How important is it for us to be able to share our faith in ways that others can understand and relate to?
• What is Luke trying to tell us about the Spirit by these events; what are some attributes and what does the Spirit bring?
• What can we learn from this story about sharing of faith as a congregation? What does the story tell us has to be present?
• Do you think that this is an accurate description of what took place? Does anything seem contrived?
14-21 That's when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: "Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren't drunk as some of you suspect. They haven't had time to get drunk—it's only nine o'clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen:
"In the Last Days," God says,
"I will pour out my Spirit
on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters;
Your young men will see visions,
your old men dream dreams.
When the time comes,
I'll pour out my Spirit
On those who serve me, men and women both,
and they'll prophesy.
I'll set wonders in the sky above
and signs on the earth below,
Blood and fire and billowing smoke,
the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,
Before the Day of the Lord arrives,
the Day tremendous and marvelous;
And whoever calls out for help
to me, God, will be saved."
• Many of the listeners would have been familiar with Joel’s words. How might they have set the stage for answering the question asked by many, “What does this mean.” How might we use Peter’s strategy in the sharing of our faith?
• What words catch your attention in Joel’s prophecy? What is Peter telling the crowd about the disciples and the events they are witnessing? What does Joel’s prophesy tell us about God’s Spirit?
• What is Peter telling the crowd the event initiates? Who will be affected? Will it all be joy and peace? Who will be saved? Do you think that we today are in the Last Days?
• What are we told prophets do and who is to be a prophet? Do you see evidence of prophesy in our midst? Have you ever felt that some element of prophesy is part of your faith life?
• Are there any portions of Joel’s prophecy that you would like to see take place in your life and the life of your faith community? What is preventing it from happening?
Closing Prayer
Enter my heart, O Holy Spirit, come in and set me free.. Throw open the locked door of my mind and cleanse the chambers of my thought for your dwelling. Light there the fires of your holy brightness that I might find a new understanding of truth. Amen.
From George Appelton, Oxford Book of Prayer
Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 29, Romans 8:12-17, John 3:1-17
PTL
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