Before Jesus’ ascension, he instructed his disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they had
received the gift God had promised them. This gift was the Holy Spirit, who would enable them to be witnesses for Jesus in Jerusalem and beyond. (Acts 1:6-11)
As the disciples waited, the Jewish feast of Shavuot, or in Greek, Pentecost, would have dawned. Shavuot is
celebrated 50 days after Passover when homes marked with the blood of the Passover lamb were saved from death.
After the second destruction of the temple in 70AD, Shavuot, the Jewish Pentecost, became a holiday that today commemorates the single most important event in Israel’s history: the giving of the Torah (the first
five books in the Hebrew Bible) to Moses at Mount Sinai. This law informed how they lived and prayed as individuals and as a society. The Ten Commandments still help us focus on living the way God desired.
However, in the time of Jesus and the days of the First and Second Temples, Shavuot was called the “Festival of the First Fruits” (Exodus 23:16). There would have been a great celebration and thanksgiving for God’s abundant provision.
With their minds filled with God’s grace, desire and provisions, Jews from all over would have attended the feast. The word ‘all’ in this text is important because the Jews there came from all over the world on the day of the giving of the Holy Spirit.
It would have been a public holiday, so they would not have been preoccupied with work. It was a perfect time for the people to receive the good news with open hearts. The disciples knew of the greatest reason to celebrate. God had indeed provided
by sending Jesus – God’s perfect lamb - to save us from the kind of death that sin brings and, in so doing, opened the path to an intimate relationship with God.
God’s timing is always perfect. With a city filled with people physically, mentally and emotionally ready to receive the good news, God empowered the disciples to it. The Holy Spirit moved within and around them.
Have you ever reflected with awe and wonder at how something turned out? How mysteriously you were in the right place, at the right time and did or said something that you never dreamt yourself capable of? Have you ever felt renewed or uplifted by another person’s action,
attitude or words? Have you ever attended a worship service out of obligation and come away feeling as though you were meant to be there that day?
These are Pentecost moments. These are times God has set everything needed to touch your soul in motion. They are the experiences of God taking charge. They are often difficult to explain other than to acknowledge a sense of God’s holy presence. Sometimes we notice them immediately, and other times as we quietly reflect. They always leave us with gratitude in our
hearts.
Reflect on the times that God’s Spirit rested on you as a giver or receiver, and thank God for those
moments.
Ask God for the grace to feel the Holy Spirit anoint you. Like the disciples, wait with an expectant heart. God’s
timing is always perfect.
Reflections by Cherie-Lynn van der Merwe
