Pentecost

Pentecost (literally meaning 50th in Greek)  This day was one of three pilgrim festivals in Judaism held 50 days after Passover and called Shavuot.  Jewish tradition held that the Law was given on this day 7 weeks after Passover.  The story of the first Christian Pentecost is found in the second chapter of the Book of Acts of the Disciples.  It is familiar to many of you.  That day Jerusalem was bustling with pilgrims from many nations.  The eleven disciples had added Barsabbas to their number replacing Judas.  This tight band of disciples and followers were all together in a house that morning when in the midst of their worship a sound like rushing wind filled the room and the place became electric with what appeared to be tongues of fire resting on each worshipper.  Pilgrims passing by the house were attracted by the noise of the wind and then even more surprised to hear their native languages spoken by the worshippers and telling them of the mighty acts of God.

Luke, the gospel writer, who authored the Book of the Acts of the Disciples and tells us this story, is thought to have written in the last third of the first century, 30-50 years after the day he is writing about.  He is writing because the events of his day, a Judian revolt against the Roman occupiers of Jerusalem, resulted in the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in CE 70.  Judaism and the new Christian movement have gone separate and opposing ways.  As some scholars have said, historicity is yielding to meaning making.

In the early Christian community, on the day Jews celebrated the act of God giving their people the Law, the new Christians celebrated God giving them the Spirit.  The Law and the Spirit are the key core acts defining their respective beliefs.  Jesus said, “I have come, not to abolish the Law but to fulfill the purpose of the Law.”  Matt. 5:17

So on Pentecost, the coming of the Spirit to the followers of Jesus, becomes the birthing of the Christian movement and expansion out into the lands of the Gentiles.  This mysterious outpouring of Spirit gives worshippers the power to speak the acts of God in a way so that everyone can hear and understand and, one might add, having heard and discerning the truth in what is said, become part of the new movement.  Speaking in tongues is called a Pentecostal gift.  In his letter to the followers living in Corinth (1 Cor. 12), Paul the Apostle, writes that the gifts of the spirit are given to every person for the common good.  Those gifts include wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, the ability to distinguish between spirits, various tongues (spoken languages) and the ability to interpret the tongues.

While there are Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians in the United Church of Christ, we are a people who primarily receive the other gifts.  As much as we long for the assurance of a booming voice,  a tongue of fire, some obvious and undeniable sign from God, or at least the exciting worship recalled in the Book of Acts—we are mostly ones who sing the great hymn “Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart” (NCH #290) with its great second verse: “I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies, no sudden rendering of the veil of clay, No angel visitant, no opening skies; but take the dimness of my soul away.”

May the Spirit fill you with love and a bright soul.