May 16, 2015: Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Passage

Pentecost

2 When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

⁵ There were pious Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered. They were mystified because everyone heard them speaking in their native languages. ⁷ They were surprised and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all the people who are speaking Galileans, every one of them? ⁸ How then can each of us hear them speaking in our native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; as well as residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the regions of Libya bordering Cyrene; and visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the mighty works of God in our own languages!” ¹² They were all surprised and bewildered. Some asked each other, “What does this mean?” ¹³ Others jeered at them, saying, “They’re full of new wine!”

¹⁴ Peter stood with the other eleven apostles. He raised his voice and declared, “Judeans and everyone living in Jerusalem! Know this! Listen carefully to my words! ¹⁵ These people aren’t drunk, as you suspect; after all, it’s only nine o’clock in the morning! ¹⁶ Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ In the last days, God says,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy.

Your young will see visions.

Your elders will dream dreams.

¹⁸ Even upon my servants, men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will prophesy.

¹⁹ I will cause wonders to occur in the

heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.

²⁰ The sun will be changed into darkness,

and the moon will be changed into blood,

before the great and spectacular day of

the Lord comes.

²¹ And everyone who calls on the name of the

Lord will be saved.^[1]

Reflection:

On Pentecost, one of my favorite moments in worship is to have several people speak the Lord’s Prayer in another language.  We can usually find people in the congregation to participate and will have English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Vietnamese, and maybe Latin, Greek, or Hebrew.  During those few moments it is a crazy mix of different words and sounds that always gets peoples’ attention.  However, it is also a powerful reminder of the diversity of God. It is amazing how the gospel is shared around the world in many more languages than I will ever hear.

Reflection Questions:
Morning: How many places on earth do you know where Jesus is worshipped?
Noon: Do you see yourself different from someone else who worships God in another language?
Evening: How will you engage someone who worships differently than you?

Prayer:

Lord, may we all worship you as one people in many places with many languages.

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^[1] Common English Bible (Nashville, TN: Common English Bible, 2011), Ac 2:1–21.