The Lord said, Later, I will give my Spirit to everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will even give my Spirit to my servants, both men and women…… Then I, the Lord will save everyone who faithfully worships me. Joel 2:28-32 (CEV)
I hope everyone had a reflective Memorial Day. The neighborhood was noticeably humming with activity and people on our daily walk. It was evident from the folks with coolers and unfamiliar faces that several parties took place on their Monday holiday. Realizing that advertisements and news stories abound, citing yesterday as the official start of the summer, I thought about how our family has traditionally commemorated Memorial Day. I will confess I struggle with the party side of Memorial Day unless it is a celebration of a life given in service to this country. My deeply patriotic spirit wants to shout out that it is not about the hotdogs, hamburgers, and pool openings; it is about the men and women who gave up their yesterdays so we can have our tomorrows. Each Memorial Day evening for many years, we have watched the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS hosted by Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna, and this year was no different. If you have never seen the show, I recommend grabbing your tissues and Googling it. It is a beautiful tribute to all our fallen servicemen and women, with music and actors portraying real-life stories of our country’s veterans. One story concluded with the reminder that every day is Memorial Day for the families of our country’s true heroes. Similar words were declared by the Pastor the day before concerning Pentecost Sunday.
Every few years Pentecost Sunday and Memorial Day weekend occur simultaneously. The Feast of Pentecost is also a memorial day, celebrated each year by Christians as they remember the events recorded in Acts 2. But it is a different kind of remembering. Instead of just remembering the past and commemorating a life taken in war, the events of Pentecost continue to live on in reality and aid us in the battle we fight every day. “We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world” (Eph 6:12). We can only do that with the gift of the Holy Spirit that was given on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). Without the Holy Spirit we are totally defenseless.
When Peter addresses the crowd in Acts 2, he points to the Good News promised in Joel 2:28-32. God promised the people of Israel that one day, the Holy Spirit of God would be poured out in power on all of God’s people, and no one that comes to believe by faith would be denied. Joel promised it. It is realized at Pentecost. Each year at Pentecost, we are reminded that God keeps His promises, that Pentecost marks the church’s birthday, and that the church’s primary purpose is to share the love of Jesus with the world, with no exceptions. Pentecost was a watershed moment in God’s plan of salvation, and every day in the life of the Christian should be a Pentecost day. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.