This upcoming Sunday marks the end of the Easter season with the coming of Pentecost. On this same day we will also be celebrating Promotion Sunday—we mark the completion of different stages in school or vocational preparation for many in our community.

Pentecost can seem like a far away event, or something that was achieved by God a long time ago.

Promotion through education or in a trade can seem like something we accomplish by our own hard work, in our own time.

What if both of these things were more connected than that? What does it mean for us to be the church that is descended from that Pentecost gathering in Jerusalem? And what does it mean that our various intellectual and embodied gifts come from God our creator?

Join us as we think about—and celebrate—all of this on Sunday.

Faithfully,

Hardy

If you're worshipping with us online, please join us immediately afterward for the virtual Coffee Hour.

“In addition to timing, careful attention should be paid to those involved in Luke’s narrative. There are two large groups, the first designated by the word ‘they were all together in one place’ (Acts 2:1). By ‘all’ it is likely that the author is referring to the entire community of Christians…. All of these receive the Holy Spirit; all are given the gifts of speaking in other languages. This follows a pattern that will reoccur in Acts, that the Holy Spirit has a tendency not to discriminate based on human standards.”

Rev. Dr. Margaret P, Aymer, Commentary on Acts 2:1-21

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 above 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.’