Good Morning Children of God!
This is sent with prayers for you and prayers for peace and safety in a tumultuous time for our country. “Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Here is Sunday’s Message. It is also attached.
May 31, 2020
Day of Pentecost
Prayer of the Day
O God, on this day you open the hearts of your faithful people by sending into us your Holy Spirit. Direct us by the light of that Spirit, that we may have a right judgment in all things and rejoice at all times in your peace, through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
Gospel John 7:37-39
Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
When interpreting Holy Scripture, Lutherans are fond of saying that all of scripture points us to Christ. The Old and New Testaments have one purpose. They direct us to Jesus. On this Day of Pentecost, I would like for you to consider this principle in light of two great festivals of the Jewish people which are referenced in the Old Testament and have great significance in leading us to Jesus. These festivals are the Feast of Harvest (also known as Pentecost) and the Feast of Booths. Both of these feasts are prominent in the scriptures appointed for this Holy Day.
In Judeo-Christian culture (and others as well), festivals and rituals give structure to the community in its worship of God. Adhering to a schedule of sacred days assists the community in remembering, thanking, and celebrating God. The structure of religious observances is important in shaping the individual, the family unit, and society. These events become central to religious life and act like a compass, directing people to God. They are cherished by us.
Not being able to worship shoulder to shoulder during Holy Week, through the entire Easter season, and now on the Day of Pentecost, has been a bitter pill for us to swallow this year. The empty feeling which is accentuated on our holiest of days serves to remind us of just how important our festivals and rituals are to us. Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder. I pray that on this Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit will overcome the miles that separate us, unite us in our love of God and neighbor, and shape our sense of purpose and mission for the future.
In ancient Jewish culture three festivals were important enough to require the attendance of all males to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. The first was the Passover which marked the beginning of the Jewish religious year and celebrated among other things, the exodus from Egypt. The second great festival was the Feast of Harvest. It fell exactly fifty days after the beginning of the Passover. This feast is also called Pentecost, a word which means “fiftieth.” The third great festival took place in the fall and was called the Feast of Booths.
All three of these Jewish festivals served as backdrops in highlighting the significance of the presence of Jesus among humanity. Jesus was crucified and resurrected during the week of Passover when people were celebrating Israel’s salvation from Egyptian slavery. The Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Apostles on the single day celebration of Pentecost (Feast of Harvest.) And Jesus made a startling claim about himself as the sustainer of life and giver of the Holy Spirit on the last day of the Feast of Booths.
The Feast of Pentecost and the Feast of Booths celebrated the spring and summer harvests respectively. They were designed to direct the people to remember, thank, and celebrate the God who made the harvest possible. Pentecost included a celebration of the first fruits of the spring harvest and a dedication of the crops to God. The people were not to consume the bounty of the land until after Pentecost.
It was on the day of Pentecost that God chose to give the Holy Spirit to the apostles. Immediately they began to proclaim “God’s deeds of power” in many different languages to the pilgrims who had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate. They spoke of Jesus, telling of his death and resurrection which had occurred during the Passover. They proclaimed him as the “first fruits” of the resurrection of the dead and as the great liberator of humankind from the slavery of sin, death, and the devil.
Pentecost was like a dinner bell that calls everyone to the table. Once Pentecost was celebrated the crops could be consumed. Likewise, once the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost, God’s Son could be received and believed upon. Both crops and Christ were gifts from God to nourish and sustain life.
Pentecost underscores the truth that Jesus is “the bread of life” made available for people of all languages. The Holy Spirit which has been given to the world moves men and women to testify that Jesus is the Savior so that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21) God’s bell has rung; the Spirit has been given. Christ is proclaimed as crucified for the forgiveness of sins and risen from the dead for everlasting life. It is open season for anyone to call upon Jesus and share in the harvest of his salvation.
It seems that Jesus was laying the groundwork for the giving of the Holy Spirit when he was teaching during the Feast of Booths. Like Pentecost, this feast celebrated a harvest. The week long event emphasized the generosity of God and commemorated the tent dwelling years of the Israelites in the Sinai wilderness following their escape from Egypt. In remembrance of their ancestors’ hardships in the wilderness and God’s faithful and miraculous provision of water, manna and quail, the Jewish people erected simple temporary structures called booths in which to live during the week of the festival. (Think of it as camping.)
Each day during the festival, water was ceremoniously transported from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple in a golden pitcher. This symbolic act reminded the people of how the Lord provided water from a rock in the wilderness, giving them the drink that preserves life. It was on the last day of the festival and water carrying that Jesus addressed his audience at the Temple and said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38) St. John, the Evangelist, informs us that Jesus was speaking “about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive.” (John 7:39)
Jesus offers himself to a weary, spiritually thirsty, wandering in the wilderness world. He is God’s generous provision which is miraculously and freely given through the Holy Spirit. When received, he satisfies one’s thirst for God and sustains life eternally. Furthermore, those who receive him and believe in him become tributaries distributing his grace to the wider world. This is exactly what happened at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell upon the Apostles. They immediately became avenues for the “living water,” the message about Jesus and his saving grace, to flow to others.
Our God is amazing and consistent. Through the years of history and cultures and systems and rituals, God is pointing people in the direction of Jesus. We are unable to see the whole picture, but we have been shown enough to make us want to remember, thank, and celebrate our God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have lived long enough to know that we are being shaped by God through this incredible human story which is being written, and that we are major players in this drama as well. For, by the Holy Spirit, we have been directed to Jesus, and in that same Spirit, God would have us lead others to Christ as well.
I guess we have more in common with the Bible than what we might have thought. We, like God’s word, exist for the purpose of pointing people to Jesus. Amen.
Spirit of Gentleness (James K. Manley)
(Refrain) Spirit, spirit of gentleness,
blow through the wilderness, calling and free,
Spirit, spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.
You moved on the waters, you called to the deep,
then you coaxed up the mountains from the valleys of sleep;
and over the eons you called to each thing;
“Awake from your slumbers and rise on your wings.”
You swept through the desert, you stung with the sand
and you goaded your people with a law and a land;
and when they were blinded with idols and lies,
then you spoke through your prophets to open their eyes.
You sang in a stable, you cried from a hill,
then you whispered in silence when the whole world was still;
and down in the city you called once again,
when you blew through your people on the rush of the wind.
You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes.
From the bondage of sorrow all the captives dream dreams;
our women see visions, our men clear their eyes.
With bold new decisions your people arise.
Peace and Blessings, Pastor Bill