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Acts 2:1-21
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Continue scrolling to read reflection.

By: The Very Rev. Robert S. Munday

Every preacher has themes that characterize his preaching. Many years ago I had an experience that helped change my preaching. I was teaching an adult Sunday School class, and I passed out cards and asked people to write down the greatest need that they needed the church to meet. The most common answer turned out to be: “power to live the Christian life.” Or, to put it another way, they were saying, “Please teach me how to live the abundant Christian life. I am tired of the struggle and strain! How do I find the freedom and joy of being a Christian?” Today is the day when we celebrate God’s answer to that question. It is the Day of Pentecost. On that day the disciples of Jesus were gathered in one place—probably about 120 of them—it was probably some place near the Temple in Jerusalem. Jews from all over the known world had come to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost, which was a Jewish feast day before it became a Christian feast day. As the disciples were gathered near the Temple precincts on this important feast day, tongues of fire suddenly appeared to come down and settle on the heads of the believers there, and they began to speak the good news of Jesus Christ with unusual power and boldness. Jews from all over the known world were amazed to hear the works of God being declared in their own language. But, as amazing a day as it was for those who witnessed it, it was a remarkable day for the Christians, because the Holy Spirit had come upon them in a baptism that was to changes their lives forever and to mark a new way in which God would be present with the Church and in the lives of individual Christians. That same Holy Spirit is given today to each of us who believe:

The Holy Spirit is given to us to help us to be all that God intends us to be as individuals. Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

The Holy Spirit is given to us to help us to be all that God intends us to be as the Church. In two chief passages in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, we are told about the spiritual gifts God gives us to empower us to be who God calls us to be, in our world today. III. The lesson of Pentecost is that God is still empowering us supernaturally to minister and to share the Gospel with others. The greatest need in the Church is for a renewal of the spiritual power and boldness to witness that the Church received at Pentecost (and this is what we mean when we pray for revival or spiritual awakening). Let us pray that, indeed, this revival and awakening might happen and that it might begin with us.