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Pentecost *

Wind and Tongues of Fire and Peace

The Birth Day of the Church

 

PENTECOSTFifty days after Easter. (Pentecost literally means “50”) 

 

 

PENTECOST commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other disciples following the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ (Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2), 

AND it marks the beginning of the Christian church's mission to the world.

 

 

1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes 11Cretans and Arabs — in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 
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.’”

Acts 2:1-21

 

File:Mildorfer, Josef Ignaz - Pentecost - 1750s.jpg

Pentecost

MILDORFER, Joseph Ignaz

1750s

Hungarian National Gallery

 

The painting was on an altar in the Church of Holy Spirit in Sopron, Hungary.

https://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/m/mildorfe/mildorf2.html

 

 

 

 

When the great promise of the Spirit

was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost,

it was fulfilled not in reference to the apostles only.

~ Charles Hodge

 

 

 

Great ideas, it has been said, 

come into the world as quietly as doves.

Perhaps, then, if we listen attentively,

we shall hear amid the uproar of empires and nations

a faint flutter of wings,

a gentle stirring of life and hope.

~ Albert Camus

 

 

 

 

Church of the Hills

CONGRATULATIONS LINDA LAGRANGE

STEWARDSHIP 2025 HONOREE!!!!

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Joan Osborne — winner of the door prize

 

Rotary Book Club

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We had 25 or 30 people there!

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Ted Ning, Jen Volmer (leader), Pres. Mindy Hanson

 

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Our speaker at Rotary — Lynn Caligiuri, 

Executive Director of Malt 

(Mountain Area Land Trust)

 

Dine Around Brunch

With the Hanson's

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Patti Stone, Carolyn Alexander, Sondra Kellogg, Jason Collins, Jeff Stone

 

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Thank you, Chris and Mindy Hanson!

 

 

 

Forgive me my nonsense,

as I also forgive the nonsense

of those that think they talk sense.

~ Robert Frost

 

 

 

 

June 7, 2025  Seventh Sunday of Easter - Year C

            Day of Pentacost/Whitsunday

 

Previous OPQs may be found at:

 

Red symbolizes both the fire of Pentecost as well as the apostles and early followers of Jesus who were gathered in the Upper Room for the empowerment from God to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world.

 

Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein

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Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org

 

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Fire in the Sky...

It was Pentecost...
A rushing wind...
Tongues of fire appeared in the sky
And came to rest on the disciples.
They were filled with the Holy Spirit...
Then Peter preached to a curious crowd.
They were amazed and perplexed
By the unexpected eloquence
>From a simple fisherman...
He stood firm as a rock
And used words like a net.
This man who thrice denied Jesus
Was drawing in new believers.
Now that's fishing!

http://www.robinjaunt.com/Peter.htm

 

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LECTIONARY

Acts 2:1–21 or Genesis 11:1–9 

Psalm 104:24–34, 35b 

Romans 8:14–17 or Acts 2:1–21 

John 14:8–17 [25–27]

 

THE WORD:

Pentecost was the Jewish festival of the harvest (also called the “Feast of Weeks”), celebrated 50 days after Passover, when the first fruits of the corn harvest were offered to the Lord.  A feast of pilgrimage (hence the presence in Jerusalem of so many “devout Jews of every nation”), Pentecost also commemorated Moses’ receiving the Law on Mount Sinai.  For the new Israel, Pentecost becomes the celebration of the Spirit of God's compassion, peace and forgiveness – the Spirit that transcends the Law and becomes the point of departure for the young Church's universal mission (the planting of a new harvest?).

In his Acts of the Apostles (Reading 1), Luke invokes the First Testament images of wind and fire in his account of the new Church’s Pentecost:  God frequently revealed his presence in fire (the pillar of fire in the Sinai) and in wind (the wind that sweeps over the earth to make the waters of the Great Flood subside).  The Hebrew word for spirit, ruah, and the Greek word pneuma also refer to the movement of air, not only as wind, but also of life-giving breath (as in God's creation of man in Genesis 2 and the revivification of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37).  Through his life-giving “breath,” the Lord begins the era of the new Israel on Pentecost.

Today’s Gospel of the first appearance of the Risen Jesus before his ten disciples (remember Thomas is not present) on Easter night is John’s version of the Pentecost event.  In “breathing” the Holy Spirit upon them, Jesus imitates God’s act of creation in Genesis.  Just as Adam’s life came from God, so the disciples’ new life of the Spirit comes from Jesus.  In the Resurrection, the Spirit replaces their sense of self-centered fear and confusion with the “peace” of understanding, enthusiasm and joy and shatters all barriers among them to make of them a community of hope and forgiveness.  By Christ’s sending them forth, the disciples become apostles – “those sent.”

 

 

 

First Reading Acts 2:1-21

1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes 11Cretans and Arabs — in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 
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.’”

Or alternate First Reading Genesis 11:1-9

1Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” 5The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 8So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b

24  O LORD, how manifold are your works! 
          In wisdom you have made them all; 
          the earth is full of your creatures. 
25  Yonder is the sea, great and wide, 
          creeping things innumerable are there, 
          living things both small and great. 
26  There go the ships, 
          and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.

27  These all look to you 
          to give them their food in due season; 
28  when you give to them, they gather it up; 
          when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 
29  When you hide your face, they are dismayed; 
          when you take away their breath, they die 
          and return to their dust. 
30  When you send forth your spirit, they are created; 
          and you renew the face of the ground.

31  May the glory of the LORD endure forever; 
          may the LORD rejoice in his works — 
32  who looks on the earth and it trembles, 
          who touches the mountains and they smoke. 
33  I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; 
          I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 
34  May my meditation be pleasing to him, 
          for I rejoice in the LORD. 
35b Bless the LORD, O my soul. 
     Praise the LORD!

Second Reading Romans 8:14-17

14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!"16it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ-if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Or alternate Second Reading Acts2:1-21

1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes 11Cretans and Arabs — in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 
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.’”

Gospel John 14:8-17 (25-27)

8Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." 9Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

15"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

25"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."

 

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