71 - Day of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-47

I LOVE Pentecost!

Next to the the Christmas Eve and the Easter Vigil, it is my favorite service of the year.

At the Church of the Holy Comforter it is our celebration of the Holy Spirit for whom we are named.  

The dove kite flies, usually the bishop is present to pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen and defend the young (and not so young) people being confirmed in the church.

We have incense and great music, we share in the Eucharist, and we have a marvelous reception afterwards.

It is a great celebration!

But of course we are not just celebrating the origins of our little patch of Christianity in Vienna, VA, but in fact the beginning of the Church -- how the followers of the way of Jesus picked themselves up after he was gone and did as he instructed them, to be his witnesses "to the ends of the earth."

The ends of the earth seem to be present in Jerusalem that day, and they understood the message being spoken in their native tongue -- an interesting counterpoint to the Tower of Babel, when God caused the confusion in human languages.  

Peter then addresses the crowd, linking Jesus life, teachings, death, and resurrection with prophecies from Joel, and from Psalm 16.  He presents a basic "Christology" making it clear that Jesus' teachings come from God, summarizing in v 36:  "Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."

What does it take to follow this Jesus, this Lord?

Peter spells it out very succinctly:

• Repent
• Be baptized 
• in the name of Jesus Christ
• Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

Then, it is reported they and the 3000 who were added devoted themselves to "the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers".  If this sounds familiar, please check out the baptismal covenant on page 304 of the Book of Common Prayer, right after the Apostles' Creed.

Day of Pentecost - Holy Comforter painting

What would it have been like to be part of that community?