Eastertide
May 15, 2018
Scripture Reading: Acts 2:1-21
17 “In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Luke quotes Joel 3:1-5 above when he addresses the questions of the people observing the disciples’ behavior at Pentecost. Joel is predicting the dawning of a new day; Luke is indicating that it began with the coming of the Spirit.
I listened at worship this morning as the Pastor gave the invitation to Communion closing with his own words that reflected Acts 2:21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved and are welcomed to share in Christ’s love feast. My church’s tradition is to celebrate this renewal of Spirit called Holy Communion, The Last Supper, the Eucharist, the Love Feast or Agape Feast each week. Actually, we benefit from remembering that dawning of a new day with the Spirit each day the sun rises.
I like history and thus accept the importance of remembering from where we derived and what experiences shapes our now. The problem seems to be that we do not learn from our past and often repeat the same mistakes. What Joel and Amos talked about thousands of years ago painfully describes our world today.
As we journey toward Pentecost, this week let us recognize that we live in the light of a new day dawning.
Prayer: Lord, help us grow in Spirit and in Truth as we strive to be your functionaries in our world today. Amen.