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1 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. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14 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. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 "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. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' (Acts 2:1-21 NRSV)
Dear Friend, welcome to Tuesday! May this be as day of wonderful blessings to you which you can pass on to others. Make this a Tuesday of Touching Lives. Do all you can to share Christ's love with a person in need. Pray for our nation and all of our needs. Pray for your needs as well.
Pentecost was very much a God-moment. The people who came to Jerusalem for the usual, got an extra order of the unusual and unexpected. The usual was to celebrate the giving of the Law, to get to church expecting the usual and you get a double-order of the "I was not expecting this!" One such day in my life was to attend my first event as intern minister which was a prayer meeting never realizing that my prayers were answered on that day in meeting my future wife. Or, was it the day you went to worship and met the Savior, Jesus Christ? Or, the day your child presented themselves for confirmation or baptism? Such wonderful surprises are awesome as was this one. The faithful were in the temple courts. The disciples were in the Upper Room when the event began. They knew He was coming, they did not just know exactly how. They were told to wait and while waiting, boom! The heavens opened and all glory broke out. In what appeared to be tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit landed on the Twelve and empowered them to speak in languages not known to them, but known to those from those areas as the Disciples began to speak about God's great deeds of power. The list was impressive and more impressive was the fact Galileans were speaking these languages. Most were impressed, but as happens, some were cynical about it and said that the disciples were drunk at nine a.m. It fell to Peter to stand and address the crowd and remind them of what the prophet Joel said, "In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spiri; and they 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 he closes today's passage with a promise of salvation.
Pentecost wasn’t the arrival of a new religion; it was the launch of a movement. It marked the moment the Church became a Spirit-filled, outward-facing community of people who would carry the Good News to the ends of the earth.
We often look for God in the quiet, the gentle, the predictable. But Pentecost reminds us that God sometimes moves in power, in disruption, in holy surprise. Are we open to that kind of movement?
The miracle wasn’t just in the tongues of fire or the multitude of languages. The deeper miracle was that people understood. God’s message of love and salvation crossed barriers and spoke directly to hearts.
In our world still divided by language, class, background, and belief, Pentecost speaks a bold word: the Spirit still speaks, and everyone can hear.
Are we listening? Are we willing to listen and do what God has asked? To win the world for Jesus?
PRAYER: Come, Holy Spirit. Fill our hearts again with the fire of your love. Break down our barriers and help us to see each other through your eyes. May your Word find a home in our hearts, and may we be bold enough to speak it with clarity and compassion. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Listen for the wind. Watch for the fire. Be open to the Spirit’s surprising call. And when the moment comes—speak.
I love you and I thank God for you!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
