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"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” — Acts 2:4

  This coming Sunday we celebrate Pentecost. The book of Acts tells the story of how the Christian faith moved outward into the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. If God’s saving work is carried through ordinary believers, then that movement had to begin somewhere.

  Pentecost was the moment that prepared and empowered the early disciples. Occurring fifty days after Passover, this long-established Jewish festival, also known as the Feast of Weeks, drew pilgrims from many nations to Jerusalem. Into that crowded, expectant setting came something entirely new. About ten days after Jesus’ ascension, the disciples were gathered together, waiting for what would come next. What they received was not simply guidance, but divine power.

  Luke describes the arrival of the Spirit with images of wind and fire—symbols long associated with God’s presence in Scripture. The rushing wind filled the house, and flames rested on each believer. This fulfilled John the Baptist’s promise that the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. The disciples were transformed, enabled to proclaim God’s mighty works in languages understood by people from across the known world.

  This moment marked the birth of the Church’s global mission. What began in Jerusalem would extend to every ethnicity thus fulfilling God’s ancient promise to Abraham. Some who witnessed the event responded with awe and wonder; others reacted with confusion or even mockery. Yet the mixed reactions did not stop the message. Empowered by the Spirit, Peter stood and spoke with boldness, declaring that God’s promised new age had begun and that salvation was found in Jesus Christ.

  Notably, the Spirit was poured out on all people—men and women, young and old. Pentecost revealed a God without barriers, inviting everyone into participation in God's mission. The same Spirit that empowered fishermen and farmers continues to work through ordinary people today. The Church’s calling has not changed: to proclaim the risen Christ and to live as evidence of God’s presence in the world.

  More than two thousand years later, Pentecost still speaks. Some will believe, others will doubt, but the power of the Spirit remains available to all who call on the name of Jesus. Christians are not merely observers of God’s work; they are living witnesses—proof that the Spirit is active here and now.

  Pentecost reminds us that faith is not only something we learn but something we live. Strengthened by the Spirit, believers are sent into their communities with hope, courage, and purpose. The story that began in Jerusalem continues through us, inviting each generation to become part of God’s ongoing work in Frankenmuth and the world.