CONFIRMATION: In your letters to me, each of you In your own way impressed me with the depth of your personal theology. I was blown away when I read, “I will be connected to God in a completely new way.”
Jesus said, “Stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high.” Waiting can drive you crazy! But guess what… they did it. They did what Jesus told them to do.
One day a welder was busy at work. Dad asked, "What are you making?" The welder looked up and said, "Three twenty-five an hour." But God didn't put us on earth to make money; God put us here to make a difference.
Sadly, like the apostles, we are slow learners and fast forgetters. That’s why the Holy Spirit comes to us as it did to them, not as a visitor, but as the abiding presence of God. You can ignore him, but not if you value salvation.
The fire was exactly as advertised. It proved to be a COMFORTER, an ENCOURAGER, an EXHORTER or CHALLENGER. Look what happened to Peter.
Often we give our attention only to what is wrong. We miss ways in which God is breathing divine breath into the ordinary mud of ourselves and each other. We miss ways in which God is practicing the divine art of resurrection.
The Galileans speak out in unfamiliar ways. Without computer software, they suddenly become masters of strange speech. Yet what happens on this first Christian Pentecost has to do not only with language, but also with content.
Luke wants us to see that the same Spirit that empowered Jesus was given to the disciples on the day of Pentecost that they might continue Jesus' mission of reconciling the world to God. "But you will receive power," Jesus said, "when the Holy Spirit has come upon you."
“I’ve lost control of my life!” That’s often what good people say when bad things happen. I’ve said it myself, but it’s not true. Human beings do not lose control of their lives. What we lose is the illusion that we were ever in control of our lives in the first place.
Both Matthias and Justus step forward at this moment, urged on by those around them. They are not mentioned previously in the New Testament and are not mentioned again. They simply come forth at the right time. Thank God for their willingness!