Since Easter we’ve been looking at the various kinds of
Change required by Easter. The Resurrection of Jesus changed the paradigm of
the world, even though few noticed. Hearts and outlooks were renewed. The
vision of mission was redefined. Last week we heard Jesus tell his followers to
stay in Jerusalem until the coming of the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost we
celebrate that amazing event. The Holy Spirit didn’t just ‘happen’ at
Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has been active since the beginning. “In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface
of the deep, and the Spirit of God was
hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-2)
Pentecost isn’t a celebration that is the creation of the
Christian church. Like many of our feasts, it has its roots in Judaism. The
Jewish feast of Pentecost/Shavuot came 50 days (pente means 50) after Passover. It celebrates the giving of the
Torah to Moses on Mt. Sinai; and is also linked to the agricultural heritage by
celebrating the ‘first fruits’ of the fields. A Jewish explanation of Shavuot
(Pentecost) notes that it is the GIVING of the Torah to Moses and the people
that is celebrated. “giving of the Torah on Shavu'ot redeemed us spiritually
from our bondage to idolatry and immorality…We are constantly in the process of receiving the Torah, that we receive
it every day, but it was first given at this time. Thus it is the giving, not
the receiving, that makes this holiday significant.”
In Acts 2 we learn, “When
the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And
suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it
filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire,
appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were
filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the
Spirit gave them ability.”
The Jewish celebration of Shavu’ot reminds the Jewish people
that they are constantly receiving the Torah-the word of God. Pentecost, likewise reminds us that the
Holy Spirit is continually being given to each of us. We are inspired and
encouraged and empowered by the Spirit of the Living God. Jesus promised, “If you love me, you will keep my
commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,
to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot
receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he
abides with you, and he will be in you.” (John 14:15-17)
The Holy Spirit, as Paul later says, “helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who
searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit
intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)
The coming of the Holy Spirit was not a one-time, dramatic
occurrence that only those in the Upper Room in Jerusalem experienced. The Holy
Spirit is ongoing and always with us. We just have to be aware and willing to
let the Spirit of God act.
How will the Holy Spirit act in your life this Pentecost
season? What is God whispering in your ear and calling you to do? Is there a
change of heart, outlook, mission or something else the Holy Spirit is urging
you toward?
