On Pentecost Sunday, the church commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon those first followers of Jesus. It is the moment which marks the beginning of the work of the church on earth. This gift of God’s Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus so that the disciples would be equipped and empowered to continue his work in the world. As Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples on that first Pentecost, they were transformed with the courage, wisdom, and clarity to step out into the world and proclaim the love of Christ to a broken world in need of reconciliation with God and one another.
However, this momentous event was not just about one day in the history of Christianity. While Pentecost celebrates that transformative event experienced by the disciples, it also celebrates the transforming work of God in our lives. God’s Holy Spirit transforms the ordinary things in this life into the extraordinary. It enables us to see things with new eyes, with eyes of faith. It gifts us with new life and purpose and calls us to live as Jesus did. When we face fear, we are given the ability to be bold in our faith and actions. When we are challenged by differences, the Spirit gives us the ability to unite and build an even stronger community. When circumstances threaten to divide us, we are empowered to be bridges of peace, forgiveness, and understanding.
As we celebrate the events of that first Pentecost, let us be mindful that in spite of our human frailties, fears, divisions, and brokenness, the Holy Spirit is still among us and just as alive today, working in our lives, in the Church, and in the world. The Holy Spirit is present when we gather and worship in Christ’s name, in our baptism when we first received the gift of the Holy Spirit, through the Holy Sacraments, and is the power that energizes us for Christian service in the world. The Holy Spirit gives us incredible gifts with which to continue the work of Jesus in the world, guiding and inspiring us in our service on God’s behalf.
May this Pentecost season, which the church observes during the second half of the liturgical year, be for you a season of spiritual growth and new life. May you know the mighty and awesome presence of God’s Holy Spirit as you gather with one another in worship and prayer, as you hear and engage the wisdom and comfort which comes to you in God’s Word, and as you live in your baptismal calling and are nurtured in the Lord’s Supper. May the Holy Spirit speak through you when others need to hear God’s voice of grace and understanding, and may you courageously be Christ’s hands and feet in the world.
O Holy Spirit, enter in, and in our hearts your work begin, your dwelling place now make us. (ELW 786)
+Bishop Wilma Kucharek
