The Day of Pentecost

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                          Acts 2:1

The Day of Pentecost

by Robert T. Cooper

For most of my life, so far as I can remember, I have known that Pentecost was the 50^th day (hence the name Pentecost) of which Easter was the 1^st. I have known it as the day the Holy Spirit descended on believers in Christ. I have known it is considered to be the birthday of the church.

I have also known that it was related to a Jewish observance connected to the harvest. But I knew little else. So I decided to do some research. Let me share some of what I found.

When our Jewish friends observe Shavuot, it is the feast or festival we and they know as Pentecost. It seems that the entire 7-week period from Easter to Pentecost is a season of harvest with the barley harvest occupying the early part of that period and the wheat harvest occupying the latter part of that period. Shavuot is also the day on which it is reckoned that Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai.

One interesting side note is that Shavuot is observed on Pentecost Sunday only by Israeli Jews and by Reformed Jews. Other Jews around the world observe Shavuot on both Pentecost Sunday and Pentecost Monday. One tradition is that during synagogue service the morning of Pentecost Sunday, a liturgical poem is read immediately prior to the Torah reading. This tradition has been in place since about a.d. 1100, and so was not observed by Peter and company on the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts. A second tradition connected to synagogue service is the reading of the book of Ruth: it is read by Israeli Jews in the service on Pentecost Sunday; it is read by Jews around the world in the service on Pentecost Monday.

Since 1533, there is all-night Torah study leading up to Pentecost Sunday. One might remember that the study of the book of Joel had been part of the preparation of the Christian believers immediately prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.

Two other Jewish traditions are the consumption of dairy products and the use of greenery for Pentecost decorations in both synagogues and homes.

Let me close by returning to the thoughts connected with the wheat harvest. Because Pentecost celebrated the wheat harvest, while the Temple was standing, there were two loaves of bread offered that day. This was the context in which Jesus made His “I am the Bread of Life” sermon.

We believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior must remember that while bread gives life to the body, Jesus as the Bread of Life gives eternal life to the spirits of His people. As it is important for us constantly feed our bodies, it is even more important for us to constantly feed on Jesus.

In the comments section, share how you go about feeding on Jesus.

The Same Way

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                        Acts 1:11

The Same Way

by Robert T. Cooper

God is an interesting Person. For the most part, He does not repeat Himself. How many people walked with God and were not (i.e., were taken to heaven without dying) in the same manner as Enoch? How many went to heaven in a fiery chariot? How many Burning Bush incidents have there been? How many partings of the Red Sea have there been? You get the idea.

Not only that, but God treats each of us as individuals. No two lives are exactly alike. We each have a unique manner in which God leads us to grow in Christlikeness. As one wag put it, there are no cookie-cutter Christians. So if you observe a different mix of spiritual disciplines than I observe, that’s not simply fine but is to be expected. If you do your daily devotions in a manner somewhat different than me, God is making yours specific to you and your needs. If your approach to evangelism is a little unique, great!

But God also has a way of doing things so that we can recognize that it is Him. He has some consistency in how He reveals Himself to me. Moreover, the only way I can help you learn to recognize God for yourself is that He is consistent enough for me to share with you how He has revealed Himself to me and for me to recognize Him revealing Himself to you so I can point Him out to you. Unity and Diversity. That is one characteristic of our infinite God.

When Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, there were certain elements that happened. He took His followers to the ridge of the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem. He spoke with them there. At a certain point in the conversation, Jesus was taken up before their very eyes. A cloud hid Him from their sight. His followers looked intently up into the sky as He was going.

When Jesus comes back it will be in the same way He left. In some manner every person in the world will be able to see His return, before their very eyes. The clouds will roll back, and there He will be. He will come down before their very eyes. As He is coming down, the people will look intently into the sky as He is coming. He will return to the ridge of the Mount of Olives. (In fact, as His feet touch the ground there will be an earthquake and the Rift that goes through there will split with one plate shifting north, the other plate shifting south.) Our Lord and Savior will address the people from that position. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Please leave a comment describing how your experience with Jesus Christ has been consistent across time. Also share how it has been characterized with variety.