The Day of Pentecost comes on June 9th, but we have already been working up to it with the last few weeks of the season of Easter. Jesus promises to send the Paraclete, that is the Holy Spirit (John 14:25-31, John 16::1-15).
Pentecost was originally was a harvest festival, the ingathering of the winter wheat. In the Old Testament, it is called the Feast of Weeks. The feast began fifty days after Passover. It was also a day to celebrate again Moses receiving the Law and God’s Covenant made at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19-24, where there was wind and fire.
In Acts 2, Luke records the first Pentecost after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. Just like the events at Mount Sinai, there was a great, mighty rushing wind, God’s Word, and a harvest. Only this time the fire came in flaming tongues over the disciple’s heads. They declare God’s Word and each person in attendance heard the mighty acts of God proclaimed in their own language. Faith was created by hearing. The Holy Spirit made this possible, and also created the faith in each person that they might make this eternal truth their own: that Jesus died on the cross to take away “MY” sins.
Each and every Lord’s Day is not only a “little Easter celebration” but it is also a “little Pentecost” because we hear with our own ears in our own language the story of the wondrous works of God for our salvation. That is, we get to hear again the story of Jesus dying on the cross to take away our sins, and rising on the third day for our justification, that we might take it to heart and believe it. This is done FOR YOU and Your CHILDREN, as St. Peter says (Acts 2:39). It is the Holy Spirit’s job to point us to Jesus death and resurrection, and He calls you to faith in this Gospel by the preaching of it. In other words, the Holy Spirit makes you holy by giving you the forgiveness of sins that Jesus won for you.
This is something that the Christian ought to do, for remembering the Sabbath is commanded by our Lord. Yet it is truly for our own benefit to hear God’s Word for by hearing we are brought to repentance and faith in Christ for our salvation, just like those 3000 that first Pentecost Day.
Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO
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