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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.Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’ But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:“In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven abov and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:1-12)
Throughout my ministry I've tried to set the stage for what The Day of Pentecost was all about, and how it came to be changed into something else. I've said for us to imagine the days of Thanksgiving and Christmas thrown together, in a global setting of crowds and crowds gathered together in the Holy City of Jerusalem, with most people there out of custom, habit, or obligation. Some even may have forgotten the real reason. Some have called it the Festival of the Harvest for it falls in the spring of the year; but it was the day when the Jews celebrated the receiving of the Law by Moses. In any case, it was a big event with many there just for the food, the seeing of old friends and relatives, when God used that setting for His purpose. As I pastor known for doing the strange and silly, I would wear a towel on my back, as my cape, held by clothes pins. I thought of this some days ago as I read the passage and remembered the power that came with that original day, and the power that is still ours if we but ask. And as I thought about power, I remembered the craze in my neighborhood and across the country as kids watching that new show, Superman, saw actor George Reeves playing Superman from 1952-1958. I made my mom get me a cape! Apparently, the mom association or sisterhood, had talked about it and I joined the other neighborhood kids wearing towels of different colors, either tied together or held together with clothes pins. We ran, pretending we were flying, and even some not well thinking kids jumped off their garages and broke their arms thinking they could really fly. I was thankful we had no garage! We truly believed in the power that was represented, we thought, in the cape that Superman wore.
The Day of Pentecost changed from being a celebration of the past, to the power of the present, God's power to reach every person in the world. Notice again the list of countries represented and the languages associated with each. When the Spirit came down as tongues of fire, the disciples filled with the Holy Spirit, began to speak and tell of God's deeds of power in each of the languages. The sad thing was that most did not get it. The passage said some were amazed and perplexed, and some even thought that the disciples were drunk with cheap wine. But Peter understood and in the power of the Holy Spirit, stood and shared this great sermon that helped convert some three thousand people. Should the church wear a cape? No, it doesn't need the cape, it has the power, the real power, to do its work. God's desire is to reach all people, in whatever way necessary (yes, for some preachers even to wear a towel cape), using words if necessary, to tell the awesomeness of God. God loves all people, and wants His believers to reach them on His behalf. (That would be you and me!).
PRAYER: Loving God, speak to my heart and fill me with that Holy Spirit power! I want to tell of your awesome deeds in my life and the lives of others. And I'm willing to do it without a cape! Thank You for Pentecost; fill that day again with Your amazing grace; this I pray in Christ Jesus my Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Wear a cape if you want to; just remember it stands for the power outside of ourselves that God provides to reach all people!
Eradio Valverde
