READING: Acts 2:1-21
Originally Pentecost was a Jewish thanksgiving-type festival celebrated seven weeks after Passover.
On this particular Pentecost, however, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the entire community of
believers just as Jesus had promised and the scriptures had prophesied. Empowered by the Spirit, the
entire community bears witness to God’s activity in multiple languages.
When the day of Pentecost had come, [the apostles] 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.”
4
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.’”
+ GOSPEL: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
While speaking to his disciples before his death, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “the Helper” and
describes the difference the Spirit will make in their lives and in the world.
[Jesus said,] “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the
Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to
testify because you have been with me from the beginning.
“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now
I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But
because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell
you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate
will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove
the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do
not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see
me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit
of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but
will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He
will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father
has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
After the gospel is read, the following is said responsively:
