2 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. ² Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. ³ Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. ⁴ And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

⁵ At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. ⁶ When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

⁷ They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, ⁸ and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! ⁹ Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!”

Acts 2:1-11

Dear God, I think what strikes me about this story this morning is that when we least expect, you show up. The believers in Jerusalem, who were just about exclusively Jewish at the time, were waiting. The didn’t know what was next. They had no idea what you were about to unleash on the world—your presence manifest within us through your Holy Spirit! It was bigger than what happened that day in Jerusalem, in that room. It was bigger than what happened outside when Peter preached and thousands believed. The idea that your Holy Spirit would come to us to be a counselor, comforter, teacher, encourager, etc. was paradigm-shifting, and it is something that I now both take for granted and don’t fully utilize or understand the power of.

One of the challenges in our modern Christian life is to really sink into the idea that I do not have to be experiencing a great high at any given moment to be Spirit-filled. For example, my wife and I talked this morning, and she is currently needing some comfort. I prayed for her comfort. I know you are there to comfort her. To the outside, she might not look Spirit-filled, but she is.

Father, help me to simply embrace you today. I spent a good bit of yesterday reading the Nancy French memoir, Ghosted: An American Story, and I got deep into the political part. It left me feeling icky. This whole political environment right now leaves me feeling, well, icky. But politics is not my God. You are my God. I worship you. I thank you for loving me. Please guide me today. Show me how to love my wife. Show me how to love my children. My parents. My siblings and nieces and nephews. My friends. Love through me, and help me to feel your Holy Spirit living within me. And help me to understand fully what that means.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen