May 20, 2024 - #mondaymoment #prophets #Bible
Happy Monday, my friends! Yesterday, the church celebrated the feast of Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles empowering them to preach and minister with confidence even in the face of persecution and, for eleven of them, death at the hands of the state. Considered and commemorated by many as the birthday of the church, the actual story in Acts 2 involves the apostles speaking and being understood by a vast array of international Jews visiting Jerusalem. Some Christians see this as evidence of “speaking in tongues,” yet it is not so much that they are speaking multiple languages, but that that they are understood by people from many different nations. This observation begs the question of who the Holy Spirit descended on at all.
My favorite Bible verse comes from a similar story in the Hebrew Bible. While the Israelites grumble about their situation in the wilderness and wondering if they wouldn’t have just been better off in Egypt, God commands Moses to gather leaders from all the tribes in the tent of meeting. There God send the Spirit down on these leaders and they begin to prophesize. But two of the men who were summoned remained in the camp and they too received the Spirit and began to preach in the camp. When Moses observes his attendants and staff irate that these men are preaching, he says, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all God’s people be prophets and that God had put they’re spirit upon them!” (Numbers 11:29 NRSV).
Too often when we look at Pentecost like we look at other major biblical events: historical events which we might celebrate and reenact, but in which we cannot participate. Pentecost is different. While the Holy Spirit may come to us in different ways, we each should be compelled by the Holy Spirit to act, create, write, innovate, revolutionize, flip tables (see Matthew 21:12-13), and overturn oppressive regimes (see Luke 1:46-55). We might not do all those things, we might not lead the movement, but the Holy Spirit compels us to do something.
How have you felt the Holy Spirit leading you? Can Pentecost be real and in-the-moment for you?
Let us pray: Radical Spirit, thank you for Love that is at once comforting and challenging, soothing and demanding. Thank you for showing us when Love requires courage and direct action, when it requires softness and rest. Because our liberation is bound, we must move in many ways. Because we are your friend, we are devoted to your cause—life and life abundantly. May it be so and amen. (Prayer written by Rev. Molly Bolton for the Enfleshed Collective.)
Blessings on your weeks, my friends! Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.
Faithfully,
Ben
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