Pentecost

Jesus was truly gone, this time.  We saw Him leave; taken up to Heaven.  Angels asked us what we were doing there, then said that He would return, just like He left.  Now, that was a strange thing to say.  So much of what Angels spoke seemed indecipherable and cryptic. 

The Angel at the tomb said, “He is not here; He is risen!”  We puzzled over that one even after Mary came and said she had seen the Lord!  How could she have seen Jesus?  He was dead!  Wasn’t He?

The eleven of us gathered that evening to talk and come to a consensus or at least, try to make sense of all that had happened.  While we were talking, Jesus just appeared!  One moment nothing, then all of a sudden, Jesus was there!  We were more than frightened; we were spooked and terror-stricken.  Jesus was in the room with us!  He was right there!

You know the rest of the story.  Jesus spent time that evening explaining all that had happened and resting our fears.  Finally…finally….we began to understand all that He had taught us for three years.  He really was alive!

Now He had left us, again.  We had learned so much after His resurrection and had hoped he would stay.  We were back in the room praying and asking direction for the next phase of the ministry when all of a sudden…tongues of fire appeared above each of us and the wind howled!  We had no time to be afraid because new insight and understanding flooded into our minds!  We seemed to have gained a heavenly vision and direction. 

I heard the others next to me begin to speak, not Hebrew nor Aramaic but an unknown language.  We began to speak in words that we did not understand.  Our minds began to understand, though.  This was the return of Jesus in a new form…Holy Spirit.  This was what He had said to wait for…His presence within each of us!

We’re still getting used to this new presence of Jesus…with us every day.  It is comforting to have His mind within us.  Our friend Luke described it best in His letter, the Acts of God through the Apostles.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4 

It was an exciting day and each succeeding day has been an adventure.  How about it?  Are you ready to join us?  Pentecost is here!