Pentecost
Readings for this week May 22 - 26
Click here for a pdf of this week’s readings
Day 1 – As With Jesus, So With Us
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Luke 3:21-22
Luke likes parallels; both his gospel and the book of Acts contain many parallels and echoes of each other, sharing stylistic and structural similarities. One thing they share is a scene near the beginning where first the Spirit descends and then the work begins. In his gospel we see this in the baptism of Jesus. As he rises from the waters, the Spirit comes upon him, and from that moment on – beginning with his time in the wilderness – the Spirit, though not explicitly mentioned as instigating everything, drives and directs his work. Filled with the Spirit, Jesus fulfils his mission. In the book of Acts the Spirit descends on the disciples at Pentecost and, again, from that moment on the Holy Spirit drives and directs the mission of the church to continue God’s redemptive work.
The church continues the work of Jesus. We do what he did. Just as the Spirit was seen to descend on him at the start of his work and ministry, so we see the Spirit descend upon his disciples at the beginning of their work of spreading the gospel of their Lord to the world. We share the same work; we are empowered and guided by the same Spirit – the Spirit of the one who calls us, teaches us, and guides us. We’re not inventing anything new here, we’re following what Jesus has already begun. We’re not reliant on what we can bring to the job but on the one who supplies everything we need for the task. Jesus used the waters of baptism and the coming of the Spirit to show who he belonged to; we do the same.
Questions to Consider
What role does the Spirit play in leading and guiding the mission of God? If we do not have to reinvent the wheel, what is our role in God’s mission?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for supplying all we need to be your people in and for your world. Thank you that we do not need to do it all, but rather follow where you lead and do as you ask. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 2 – To All, For All, In All
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Acts 2:1-4
The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was something the community of Jesus’ followers experienced together. It was a communal filling, the bestowal of a gift upon a body of believers – Christ’s body on earth, now also to be filled with his Spirit. It was important that they experienced it together as a sign that it was God’s gift to a body – made up of its various members, yes – but called to be one united body of Jesus’ followers on earth. The Spirit within us that guides, empowers and transforms us, does so for all of us together. We are not moved or transformed on our own, and we are not changed to be on our own but to be together and work together. The Spirit works in us and through us for each other and for the world.
The Holy Spirit is God’s presence among us, with us and in us. Only through the Spirit of God are we able to be God’s united body. By ourselves we cannot do it. In our own strength, even with all of us together pulling in the same direction, we will fail, fracture, and fall apart. The unity needed requires more from us than we can give. But through the work of the Holy Spirit we can experience unity with God and with each other in a way that frees us from our selfish, rebellious proclivities and opens us up to be conduits of his love and co-workers in his task of reconciling and restoring his creation to himself.
Questions to Consider
What does unity mean? What does a unified community look like? What part do we play in making sure it happens?
Prayer
Lord God, make us of one mind. Bind us together in purpose and love so the world sees the unity that you call us to have. Keep before us the vision of the unified community you are shaping. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 3 – The Catalyst for All That Comes
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Acts 2:5-13
It would be safe to say that if it were not for the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the followers gathered together in the upper room, a lot of the book of Acts would not exist; the story (what would remain) would be very different and not nearly as transformative for the world. What happens in the upper room is the catalyst for all that follows. The coming of the Holy Spirit is the spur for all that happens in the story because the Holy Spirit is himself the fount of all that happens. He spurs, he leads, he prompts, he protects, he empowers, he convicts, he inspires – all that we see in the movement of God’s mission and the gospel of Jesus from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond, to all the people groups of the world, is Spirit-inspired and Spirit-directed.
The mission is God’s, and although we are called to join him in it, what we do comes at his instigation, is for his glory and is carried out through his power. The Triune God of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the wellspring and origin of the mission that we are called to partake in and undertake for the sake of the world. Any attempt to facilitate mission on our own, without the command, prompting and power of God behind it, is doomed to fail as both a harbinger of the kingdom and a testimony to who God is. The waiting of Pentecost shows just how important it is for us to acknowledge the mission as his and submit to his call on us to play the part designated for us as his faithful followers.
Questions to Consider
Why is waiting important? What does God do during these times when we wait?
Prayer
Holy Lord, we cannot do anything without you and without taking the time to wait upon you and be guided by you. Teach us how to listen and follow when and where you call. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 4 – The Transformation Needed Made Possible
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Acts 2:14-41
That Peter could stand up before such a large crowd and so boldly and clearly speak of Jesus as the Anointed One, long promised to Israel and the world, is good news for us. This is not just because it is the start of the spread of the Good News to the rest of the world; it is good news for us because it gives us a wonderful example of the transformation possible for someone filled and empowered by the Spirit of God. Think of the road Peter had travelled to this point: impetuous follower of Jesus, first to call him Messiah, the only one (we know of) called Satan by the Messiah. Adamant about his unshakeable faithfulness, he denied three times even knowing Jesus, being so afraid of arrest because of his association with him. The Peter that Jesus counselled on the beach was a broken man, despairing of himself because of his selfish, fearful betrayal of his master and friend.
But now that previously shame-filled, fearful man is boldly proclaiming his allegiance to Jesus in public, in the middle of the city where just a few short weeks ago he was afraid to show his face. The transformation that has taken place was not something wrought by Peter himself; it was not something he was capable of pulling off himself. The transforming power of the Holy Spirit has worked a mighty change in Peter and can do the same in us too. Who we thought we were, or who we are, is not who we will remain. We do not have to labour under the burden of our fractured selves and the sin that mars us. God can and will change us, if we let him.
Questions to Consider
How is the Holy Spirit an active presence in your life? What would be different without his influence and input in what you do? How have you changed under his influence?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your spirit. Please fill me again with your Holy Spirit and guide me in my day and week ahead. Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 5 – Preparing for God’s Road Ahead
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Psalm 16
We have passed through Lent, Easter and now Pentecost, a journey of remembrance, sorrow and celebration. For many followers of Jesus, this time is similar to what the new year represents for many others: a chance to look back, take stock and then look forward. Remembering the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, his resurrection, the giving of the Spirit to the church, and the new life together now available to us in the redemptive community of Jesus’ followers is, for many, the perfect time to seek God anew. To look back at where we have travelled and to look forward to where God might be calling us next. To seek out those God is calling us to. To be pushed and prompted to look beyond our own perspective and through the eyes of God instead. We remind ourselves and each other of God’s great love for us all, we reconnect with his wider purposes for his people, and as his Spirit-filled people we reach out to the world. Where will he lead us next?
Questions to Consider
What new dreams has God been laying on your heart? What new people and places has he been revealing to you?
Where is God asking you to go? What task might he be preparing you for?
What impossibility in your life or community might now be possible through the power of the Holy Spirit?
Who are your companions on the journey? Who do you seek and discern with? What are you all hearing together?
Prayer
Lord God, thank you for walking with me and leading me through Lent, into Easter, and beyond. Lead me on, show me what is next for me and those you would have me journey with. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)