May 19 2024 —
Jesus told His disciples that, though He was going to ascend into heaven, He wasn’t going to leave them alone. He was going to send “the Advocate,” a title for the Holy Spirit. But Jesus wasn’t sending the Spirit just to keep us company. Jesus would have the Advocate give us spiritual power so that we might participate in Christ’s saving work. Here is the final resurrection reality. The Spirit gives us the ability to raise the spiritually dead to life.
We see this happen on Pentecost. The festival of Pentecost was held fifty days after the Passover. (Pentecost is Greek for “fifty.”) It was a time to thank God for the harvest. But on that day, through the Church at work, the Holy Spirit gathered another harvest, a harvest of souls. Therefore, Pentecost is the third great festival of the Church, along with the Nativity and the Resurrection. With the Festival of Pentecost, the festival half of the Church Year comes to a close.
Our Readings:
Ezekiel 37:1-14 – The Lord allows Ezekiel to see that the Spirit would give that prophet’s words the power to raise the dead to life.
Acts 2:1-21 – The Day of Pentecost was the fulfillment of God’s promise to pour out his Spirit.
John 15:26-27,16:4b-11 – Jesus promised he would not leave us alone but would send us the Spirit of truth to give us the courage and power to testify to the world.
This Week’s Service Folder for Online Viewing Is HERE