Spirit Power

Readings for Pentecost Sunday

June 12th 2011



Then afterward I will pour out my spirit upon all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; Even upon the servants and the handmaids, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. Joel 3:1-2(from the Pentecost Vigil)

Like the believers on Pentecost Sunday, I‘ve been accused of talking and no-one understanding what I was saying. Although it has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit, and more to do with the Brooklyn accent.
As I read about the Holy Spirit coming upon the believers I thought about the awesomeness of “Speaking in Tongues” can you imagine speaking to someone (who knows no English) and they understanding everything you say to them

Can you imagine how the first believers must have felt as they sat in that room praying for a sign, fearful of the unknown? They really were in many ways a bunch of misfits and in today’s world none of them would have the things that we think are necessary for success- homes, money, political influence, social status and yet they turned the world upside down and won multitudes for Christ. How did they do this? They were able to do this because they were a community of believers ignited by the Spirit of God.
2,000- Years later and we are still the same community of believers- the difference; we are not waiting for the Holy Spirit to come upon us. Why? Because the Holy Spirit already dwells in us and His presence will be permanent as Jesus promised. (John 14:16)

When I think of the Holy Spirit I remember something I read some time ago.
When you go home this evening, try fixing your dinner, doing your homework, playing your iPod, watching a ballgame, or your favorite TV show, Facebook, Twitter- all without any electricity. You won’t get very far. Every appliance, every light bulb, every electronic gadget relies on that electrical current to come alive. Without it, they are worthless.

That’s how it is with us and the Holy Spirit. Without the power of Gods Spirit flowing through us we would be lifeless blobs. We depend on God for everything: our mind, our body, our soul, our very breath.
Now the Holy Spirit is available to all people through a relationship with Jesus Christ, Jesus is the socket we can “plug into” to access the power of the Holy Spirit.
Enjoy the readings, pass them on….. IHN, tommyk

Reading 1 Acts 2:1-11

2:1When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.2- And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. 3-Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. 4-And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. 5-Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. 6-At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language.7- They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, "Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? 8-Then how does each of us hear them in his native language? 9-We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,10- Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome,11- both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God."

Questions for discussion:

1. Have you ever traveled where you did not speak the language? What happened?
2. Would you respond more like those in verse 12 or those in verse 13?
3. Have you ever seen the gift of tongues in any way?

Reading II 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13

3b- Brothers and sisters: No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. 4- There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; 5- there are different forms of service but the same Lord; 6- there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. 7- To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. 12- As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. 13-For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Questions for discussion:

1. How can others tell that “Jesus is Lord” of your life?
2. Have you discovered your Spiritual gifts? If so, what are they?
3. How have you used your gift for the common good?
4. What is on skill you secretly possess?


Gospel John 20:19-23


19-On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20-When he had said this; he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.21- Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22-And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23-Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

Questions for discussion:

1. Have you ever gone into your room and locked the door? Why?
2. Why are the disciples fearful now?
3. Where could you use Jesus’ peace right now?
4. What is the evidence that Jesus is alive in your life today?


Summary of the Gospel from YM Central

Ever feel like Jesus has left you alone, without any help? Sometimes life can feel like that, especially when we can’t see Jesus. Many people accuse God of not caring and being distant from us. The reality is that Jesus wants to get closer to us than we are to ourselves. This Sunday’s feast day is meant to show us that Jesus loves us so much that He wants to live within us. This Gospel takes us back to the first Resurrection appearance of Jesus to the Apostles.
Here, Jesus is trying to teach us some important facts about the Resurrection, and how He is present to us. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus still got inside. Perhaps He had a spare key? Maybe He "jimmied" the door and snuck in? The doors would have been greatly secured because the disciples were in fear for their lives. St. John wants to show us that the only way Jesus could get in was to supernaturally enter the room.
Yes, He has a body, but it is not bound to the laws of nature the way our bodies are physically limited. Although Jesus enters and says "peace" to the disciples, they must have been terrified when they saw Him alive in their presence. Jesus' entire ministry is about peace, not political peace, but bringing peace in our hearts. The disciples saw His hands and side - although the Gospel describes them as rejoicing, could words ever describe the elation they must have felt? Then we read that Jesus then sends His disciples to forgive sins.
The Church has always seen this event as the beginning of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where the Apostles (and their successors, the bishops), are given the authority to forgive sins. This should be a cause of joy to all of us, because no matter the depths of our sins, God is eagerly looking to forgive us. The point of all of this is that Jesus, our God and Lord, cares so much about us that He wants to be with us and offer us His life. His life is unlike anything we can experience on earth, for His life is so powerful that it can conquer even death.
We can share in His resurrected life by receiving His Holy Spirit and having our sins forgiven. God wants us to be pure before Him, without sin, and so He will literally come into our lives and make us His Temple. Our feast of Pentecost reminds us that Jesus wants to be with us so much that He has chosen to live within us, giving us His Spirit in Baptism. No longer can we say that God is distant, but rather He is so close to us that He wants to be part of our every moment. We may not be able to see Him, and we might not be able to feel Him, but He has promised us that He is with us…and we can trust His promise completely, even in the midst of our strongest doubts.