Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, May 23, 2021
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: Pentecost is a celebration of diversity, even as it unifies us with the gift of God’s Holy Spirit.
The celebration of Pentecost is a celebration of diversity. It was early in the spread of the Christian church, and many Jewish Christians were eager to spread the word of the risen Christ. The apostles were in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks, a celebration of the first harvest of spring and the sustenance offered by God. Since the feast was a celebration that included a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, it offered the opportunity for the apostles to speak from people from far away places.
The apostles, Jewish pilgrims and their traveling companions were all gathered in one place for the feast. There, the gift of God’s Holy Spirit was granted for everyone gathered. Tongues of fire rested on them. The Holy Spirit broke the barriers of language that might have prevented them from communicating the message of the risen Christ.
The early Christian church was built on the diversity brought by people from all over the land. From the beginning, it was never intended only for the few Jews privileged enough to witness the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is meant for all people—Gentiles and Jews; men, women, and those transitioning; the free and those enslaved by poverty or human trafficking; those who speak Aramaic or Hebrew, and those who speak Greek, English, Spanish, Mandarin, Armenian, or any other language. Pentecost is a celebration of diversity, and of how God’s gift of the Holy Spirit can unify us, even as we celebrate our differences.
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