Pentecost

We move from celebrating the Ascension of Jesus last week, to the celebration of the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost this Sunday. The account of Pentecost is in the second chapter of Acts and features some Holy Spirit pyrotechnics along with a killer sermon from Peter, ending in the greatest altar call of all-time, and a wild charity drive (or was a charioty drive back then?).

We often think of Pentecost as the birth of the church, but sometimes we forget that the church had parents. What I mean to say is that Pentecost is not merely a Christian holiday. Pentecost was a Jewish holiday, also called the Feast of Weeks, on which the people would gather together to praise God for his gifts of bounty at the end of the harvest season. It was called “Pentecost” because it was the fiftieth day after the first sheaf had been offered to God. It was for this festival that the crowds had all packed back into Jerusalem, which provided the apostles with such an evangelistic opportunity.

It is not merely a bit of trivia that Pentecost overlaps with this harvest festival. Jesus had once told his disciples that the harvest was plentiful, but the workers were few. Then, at just the right moment, he sends the Spirit to aid the disciples in reaping the very first harvest of our faith. The feast of Pentecost remains a feast of harvest and gratitude. As Christians, we celebrate that the firstfruits of the harvest have been offered up in the self-sacrifice of Jesus at Easter, and that our whole lives are a part of this harvesting endeavor.

The exciting gift of the Spirit has never been merely for Christians to enjoy the presence of God. The gift of the Spirit is the power and authority to carry on with the Kingdom mission for which we are all commissioned - to be workers of the harvest. As we approach Pentecost, think of the works that the Lord has done in your life and ask Him where he might be sending you to reap.

Michael+