Whit Sunday
‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ Romans 12:2a
Bible reading: Acts 2:1-4 (Go to the Bible passage)
When the day of Pentecost came, Jerusalem was crowded. Many Jews from around the world had come to the city to celebrate Pentecost, the festival of weeks, one of the three great festivals of the Jews (Exodus 23:17). Only the very pious Jews made this – certainly for that time - great effort.
The disciples of Jesus were in Jerusalem too. But they were not only there to celebrate the festival of weeks, but especially because Jesus - the resurrected Lord - had commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the gift the Father had promised (Acts 1:4). In obedience to their Lord they stayed, ‘all joined together constantly in prayer’ (1:14), not knowing how long they had to wait.
They certainly did not know that their waiting was going to end when the day of Pentecost arrived. They were simply together for the festival of weeks when suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Perhaps they were a bit worried at first when they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them… But immediately, all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, for they started to speak frankly of everything the Spirit enabled them to say. It must have been a liberating experience!
Maybe then they remembered the words of Jesus: ‘…do not worry about what to say or how to say it (…) for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you’ (Matthew 10:19,20).
Yes, for it is the work of the Holy Spirit that He releases us from our darkened understanding, and transforms us through the renewing of our mind!

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