The day of Pentecost marks the day that the Holy Spirit descended on Christ's disciples and all the others who were waiting for the fulfillment of Jesus' promise. This great event marks the birth of the Christian Church. Jesus said to them, “Go and wait, and you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” Power for what? Power to witness the resurrection of Jesus, for the fulfillment of the mission of God in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
The descent of the Holy Spirit was accompanied by great signs. A great noise that was heard by all the people who were there accompanying the Jews on their feast of Pentecost. People from all over the ancient world ran to see what was happening. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit manifested itself resting on those who were in the upper room. They began to speak tongues of fire to produce one of the greatest miracles in history, and it was that all those present heard and understood the message of God in their own language.
The miracle of the tongues of fire showed that God's redemptive purpose was to save all the peoples of the world and to found a church that was diverse, multi-ethnic and multicultural, with no place for discrimination or racism.
When we say that The Holy Spirit empowers the church, we are talking about a kind of power that society at that time was not used to. The Roman empire abused their power by mistreating, exploiting and oppressing the poor and marginalized, like some governments today. But with this new idea of exercising power, many people were positively impacted to experience liberation, healing, love, acceptance, community and a sense of purpose in life.
Let us take advantage of this moment to make a great noise in this nation so that racism is eradicated at its roots. We can do this without violence, following the example and teaching of the black Prophet Martin Luther King Jr., who teaches us that responding with violence only perpetuates more violence.
Oh God, renew Your church today with a strong wind of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
