Acts 2:1-13
“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.” vss. 3-4
It’s hard to know what to do with Pentecost. Christmas and Easter are easy–crowds of folks come out for worship–and the message is pretty much always the same. But Pentecost is tougher. Some years it gets stuck on the wrong side of Memorial Day and sometimes there’s not even a choir for special music. And then there’s the mystery of it all. What exactly happened there in Jerusalem? What shall we make of divided tongues of fire and speaking in other languages? If this is the birthday of the Church shouldn’t it be cause for a pretty big celebration, regardless of when it falls on the calendar? It seems to have been a chaotic day, one with lots of excitement and disciples being moved out of their comfort zone. In John’s gospel we learn that the Spirit blows where it wills and we can hear the sound of it, but we don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. That’s what we see here in Acts. The Spirit has come and folks could hear the sound of it, but no one knew what was going to happen. And that’s what Pentecost is about! The Spirit has come and the Church is full of it…and no one knows where it is going! That’s just how it is when God is in charge.
Thought for the Day: What are the attributes of a Spirit-filled congregation?
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