Sunday Morning Worship Devotional Guide

Covenant’s Sunday Morning Devotional Guide

May 11, 2008, Pentecost Sunday  

Pentecost Sunday celebrates the coming of the Spirit of God.  Before he left, Jesus promised another comforter and told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until he sent him.  Ten days later, the Spirit was unleashed on the world in power.  The Spirit descended on the disciples and the good news of Jesus was preached understandably and boldly, and many were added to the community that day.  On Pentecost Sunday we celebrate the gift of the Spirit, who is the presence of God among us.  We are also reminded that the Spirit comes not only to comfort but to empower us for service.  Pentecost Sunday reminds us of the task we have to continue to proclaim the good news of Jesus.  We are sent on God’s mission to make disciples of all nations and enabled by the Spirit to fulfill this glorious task.  Our hymns will include Spirit Song (Celebration 384) with Let It Be Said Of Us; Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove (Trinity 332); The Comforter has Come (Celebration 386) and Psalm 104 (tune is O Worship the King).  

Acts 2:1-21, The Coming of the Holy Spirit

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and 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, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 

17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on 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 on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ 

            The disciples had returned to Jerusalem just as Jesus had instructed before he was taken to heaven.  They had been there ten days, praying and waiting.  That tenth day happened to be the Day of Pentecost, or, as called in the Old Testament, the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-21).  The Feast of Weeks was celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover.  It was a celebration for the spring harvest, or festival of “first fruits.” The first goods of the harvest were to be offered to the Lord in thanksgiving for the harvest and his provision.  People from many nations, Jews dispersed throughout the area, had come back to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost (the Greek term for “fiftieth” or “fiftieth day”) in the Temple.   

            On this day, as the disciples were gathered together, they heard the sound of a “mighty wind” come into the room, and “divided tongues of fire” rested on each of them.  Unlike Elijah, who experienced God’s presence not in great fire or earthquake or rushing wind but in a still, small voice, God descended on these disciples in a powerful wind and in fire.  Immediately they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in “other tongues,” declaring the mighty works of God.  This attracted the attention of the others celebrating the Feast, and people from every nation were confused and amazed that these men from Galilee were speaking in other tongues.  Some said they were just drunk (see March 30 devotional guide, CPC website, also on Acts 2).   

            Peter then gets up and begins to preach, explaining how the mighty works of God culminate in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  He begins by quoting the prophetic book of Joel, which says that in the “last days” God will “pour out his Spirit on all flesh,” resulting in prophesies, visions, dreams.  Peter was concerned to show that this particular day marked the beginning of the “last days” that Joel was speaking of.  Just as the Feast of Weeks celebrated the first fruits of a new harvest, the promise of more to come, the unleashing of the Spirit in power on all flesh marked the beginning of a new harvest.  God, who for so many years was present with his people through a shining cloud resting on the Temple, dwelt among his people in Jesus.  After Jesus ascended, God’s presence on earth came in the power of his Spirit—God will dwell on earth now through this new community of believers among whom his Spirit dwells.  Through the proclamation of the Word in the power of the Spirit a new harvest will be brought in—one that reaps both Jews and Gentiles.  The Spirit will be poured out on all flesh, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (2:17, 21).  We are part of this harvest, and as God’s people, who have access to the same Spirit, we are still workers and gatherers in his harvest field.           

Ps. 104:24-35

24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, great and wide,
which teems with creatures innumerable,
living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. 

27 These all look to you,
to give them their food in due season.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
0when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works,
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord! 

Psalm 104 is a psalm of praise to God for his great works.  The first 23 verses recount the details of God’s great work of creation and his work to sustain and care for that creation.  He set seas in place and created day and night, and he continues to provide through rain and seasons and food for the animals.  Our passage continues this theme.  The psalmist declares that God’s works are manifold, or many, and all of them are done in wisdom.   

Verses 27-30 focus on all of creation’s dependence on God.  Every creature looks to God (whether they are able to acknowledge that or not) for even the most basic, life-giving things like food and breath.  If God were to turn away, we would perish.  Significantly, verse 30 links the Spirit of God to the work of creation.  God accomplishes his mighty works in the power of his Spirit, creating and renewing the earth through him.  This Spirit, in the New Testament, works to create a new people of God by renewing the hearts of both Jew and Gentile.   

The rest of the psalm (verses 31-35) focuses on the response to these great works of God.  The psalmist prays that God would be pleased with his works.  He then says that he will respond himself with praise and with singing, with the desire to obey and the hope that disobedience to God will one day be no more. 

1 Cor. 12:4-13

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 

            Paul tells the Corinthian church that, though the Spirit empowers us and gifts us in very different ways, it is in fact the same Spirit.  This teaching may imply that the church in Corinth was dividing over their gifts.  Because the Spirit worked in their lives differently, this was fostering jealousy or misunderstanding, producing disunity.  Paul wants the Corinthians to understand that the Spirit brings unity, not division.  Our gifts are diverse, but they are from the same Spirit.  We should not expect someone else’s growth and gifts to look exactly like the Spirit’s work in our lives.  The same God sends the same Spirit to all his children.           

Then Paul makes an important assertion—the Spirit gives gifts for the common good.  That is, a gift of the Spirit bestowed to any one person is actually the Spirit’s gift to the whole church.  Gifts are always given for others and for service.  Elsewhere Paul writes that if your gift is teaching, you should teach; if it is prophesying, you should prophecy, etc.  Using our own discernment and the encouragement and discernment of those close to us, we should find where we have been given gifts and then find how we can use them to build up the church and serve others.  We are all one body, with different roles.  We have each, no matter how old or how young we may be in the faith, been given gifts for the common good.   

And just in case we find ourselves inclined to be jealous because someone has been given a gift we would like, or prideful because we think we are particularly gifted, Paul reminds us that the Spirit “apportions to each one individually as he wills” (verse 12).  The thing about “gifts” is, they are just that—given.  If we remember that anything we have comes from God, and any way we are able to serve is through the gifting of his Spirit, there is no room for pride.  Our gifts do not originate with us, but are from the Spirit.  We are stewards, and are called to use our gifts well and in the service of others. 

We are all one body, all baptized into the same Spirit.  No matter the social class, age, cultural background, we are different parts of the same body.  We have access to the same Spirit.  And we are all empowered by that Spirit to serve God’s kingdom. 

John 7:37-39, Rivers of Living Water

37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 

            For his hearers, this was a startling statement.  This man Jesus stands up in the middle of the Temple, at the culmination of the Feast of Booths, and cries out loudly, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”  Just as the Jews were in the Temple celebrating how God had provided for them in the wilderness, even bringing water out of rock, a man disrupts everything by shouting that he is the source of thirst-quenching water.  This statement was a bold assertion of Jesus’ union with, even identity with the Father.  Jesus goes on to say that whoever believes in him will not only have their thirst quenched in him but will become a source of water themselves!  Out of his heart, or literally out of his belly, will flow “rivers of living water.”  He is not just promising one sip of water for those who come to him.  His followers will have rivers of water flowing through and out of them.             

John says that Jesus was referring to the Spirit.  Jesus declares that he is the source of life-giving water.  After Jesus dies and is raised and ascended to heaven, his followers will still have access to him through the powerful presence of the Spirit.   He will continue to dwell with them through the Spirit.  And their rivers will naturally flow to others—just as Jesus called all who thirst to come to him, we will call others to come to him as well.  The living water of Jesus is present through the Spirit in the community of the church.  Jill Zimmerman

Questions for Discussion and Reflection

1.  Read Leviticus 12:15-21.  How were the Israelites commanded to celebrate the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost?   

2.  To whom will the Spirit be poured out?  Why is this significant?   

3.  What do we learn about the Spirit in Psalm 104:30?  To what great work of God is the Spirit linked? 

4.  In the Old Testament we see one pattern for biblical prayer.  Many prayers and psalms open with the speaker recounting to God the works of God.  This usually starts with God’s great act of creation, then moves to how God has dealt graciously with Israel.  With your family, offer a prayer of praise to God for his many great works—begin like Psalm 104, by enumerating different aspects of God’s work of creation.  Then transition to thanking God for the great work of salvation in Jesus, and other great works he has performed in your family’s life.   

5.  Why, according to Paul in I Corinthians, have we been given gifts of the Spirit?  Reflect individually on how and whether you are using your gifts to this end. 

6.  How might the remembrance that our spiritual gifts are just that—gifts—keep us from both pride and jealousy?