God’s Spirit readies us to live lives of love for all!
TEXT: John 14:8-17 [25-27]; Read it here. Pentecost Sunday.
Pentecost means God’s power working in ordinary people. Jesus’ followers believed that the Holy Spirit entered their hearts that day in Jerusalem. God’s Spirit gave them the power to spread Jesus’ message of love for all people, to all people. They lived on the margins of the Roman Empire. Their faith put them in a persecuted minority. Yet, God filled them with power!
Today, we still celebrate Pentecost. On this day, we remember to open ourselves to the work of God’s Holy Spirit, too. Like the earliest believers, Christians today feel like a minority in a culture that values material wealth above all else. Yet, the Holy Spirit still fills God’s people with the power to proclaim Jesus’s love. It gives us the ability to connect with other people so we can tell them of God’s might deeds.
That’s why we come to church on Sunday. Through our relationships with fellow Christians, we can grow in faith and in our relationship with Jesus Christ. For that reason, we also work hard to form a web of faith around our young people. We want them to grow in their relationship with Jesus and with other believers. That’s because we look to the believers who have walked the path of faith. The Holy Spirit equips us with the power to witness to God’s love for all people — just like the first believers.
Pentecost Prayer
God our creator, the resurrection of your Son offers life to all the peoples of earth. By your Holy Spirit, kindle in us the fire of your love, empowering our lives for service and our tongues for praise,through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
— From the ELCA Lectionary, Year B
Gospel Acclamation for Pentecost
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts | of your faithful,and kindle in us the fire | of your love. Alleluia.
— From the ELCA Lectionary, Year B