Today is Pentecost. It has been 50 days since Easter. (time
sure does fly, as they say) Pentecost originally was a feast outlined in
Leviticus as the offering of new grain (Leviticus 23:15-21). That is why the
Book of Acts notes that there were so many in Jerusalem, “Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea
and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of
Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
Cretans and Arabians…” (Acts 2:9-11) Everyone was present for the festival.
For Christians, Pentecost is when we remember the giving of
the Holy Spirit on the faithful followers of Jesus. They were in the upper room
hiding out, fear-filled and unsure of themselves. In the course of 50 days, not
even 2 months, they had seen Jesus die, Jesus resurrected, and Jesus ascend to
heaven. They probably didn’t know what to expect next.
What came next was flame and wind. The Holy Spirit
emboldened them to go out and tell everyone what had happened. They had to
proclaim what Jesus had done. We may never have had tongues of fire descend on
us, or a loud rushing wind impel us to preach. However, we are descendants of
those men and women. We are called to proclaim the Good News of Christ to a
world desperate for some good news.
Over the past 5 weeks, readers here have had the chance to
look at ways to be refreshed in soul for the work of God. The season of
Pentecost, which lasts from now until Advent, is when we live and do the work
of God in the world. This season is sometimes called “ordinary time”. In one
sense it is ordinary because we are
going about our regular routines without the benefit of big feast days to
inspire us. On the other hand, the season of Pentecost is anything but ordinary
because we are doing God’s work. When we become aware that our day-to-day
living is part of the work of God, we become extra-ordinary women and men.
Peter, and those in the upper room, were transformed by the
experience of the Holy Spirit. They boldly spoke out about Jesus while living
their daily lives. In Acts we are told, “Day
by day, attending the temple together and breaking break in their homes, they
partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor
with all the people.” (Acts 2:46-47) Yes, they did signs and wonders, but
more importantly, they lived among their neighbors just like they had always
done. It was the witness of their changed lives and their pointing to Christ
that impressed and converted people. When Peter and John were confronted by the
lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, they told him, “I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
(I offer you this coloring page as an aid to meditating on the ordinary, yet extra-ordinary response of Peter and John. Print it out and sit with the picture and some pencils, markers, crayons. As you color, think about the lives of the first century men and women. How can you be like them in telling about Jesus in your life?)
The men and women of first century Jerusalem were not really
that different from you and me. They were living their lives, conscious of the
action of God in Christ and through the Holy Spirit. They could do nothing
except share the Good News.
Over the next few weeks, the meditations here will
look at ways we are Blessed to do that work as well. Come along and live the
(extra)ordinary time of sharing in the witness of God.
