Pentecost People

The following is a devotion I wrote for our Annual Conference devotional ministry.  It will be distributed on May 18, the day before Pentecost.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ² 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. ³ Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. (Acts 2:1-3)

 

How many times have you read this passage about Pentecost? Probably enough times that the idea of a violent wind rushing through the house and tongues of fire dancing among the people just feels interesting, but expected.  Take a moment and imagine what it was like for the people who were gathered together. I think they would have been afraid – they might not have understood what was going on.  Wind and fire in the house? Sounds like the stuff of nightmares. Who knew what would happen next?

 

I think we are living through a time in our church when it is easy to be afraid – when we don’t know what is going to happen next. As I write this at the end of February, General Conference approaches. The delegation has been and will continue to be praying using the words return, rebuild, restore. If you think about it, those are words full of fire and wind – power and unpredictability.  But read the next verse in our passage from Acts: All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. (Acts 2:4)

 

The wind that rushed through the house and the fire that touched them were of God. The Holy Spirit filled them, and while that can be frightening, it is a sure sign of the presence of God.

 

As I write this in February, I don’t know what the next few weeks, months, or years will hold, but I know God is present. As the new church gathered 2000 years ago, amid wind and fire, they spoke in other languages and understood each other. It was unity. It was a restoration of what community could be, and it was packed full of possibility.

 

Instead of focusing on the fear, consider the possibilities. What hope are we offered? What hope can we bring to others? Even amid our disagreements, we can be filled with the Holy Spirit; we can understand each other, and we can offer the possibilities the world needs.

 

Are you willing to be Pentecost people?

 

Prayer: God of wind and fire, send your Holy Spirit among us so that we can give up the fear of losing what we know, be the Church you call us to be, and offer every possibility of new life to the world. In your son’s name, Amen.