Views From The Pews – Pentecost Sunday – June 8, 2025

Welcome, Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and is the third member of the Trinity with a vital role to play in the life of every Christian. Jesus, before his ascension, promised the Holy Spirit to his disciples and told them to tarry, to wait for this Holy Spirit who was to come. And when he does, the Holy Spirit would imbue them with power to become witnesses for Christ [Acts 1:8]. This Holy Spirit was to be their comforter, their guide, and the member of the godhead that was going to give them the boldness and the courage to speak the truth about Jesus Christ and the need for this Jesus Christ by every person, Jew or Gentile.

In our reading for today, we see that the disciples tarried in Jerusalem as commanded, waiting for this Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus and according to Acts 2: 2-4,  when he came and there was no doubt of his arrival as they heard the wind, they saw the tongues of fire resting on the heads of each person present,  and they experienced him in their spirit by speaking in tongues as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance.

But why did Jesus make it so important for the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit before the start of their ministry? Jesus knew that his disciples would need the power of the Holy Spirit to carry out their mission of spreading the Good News. The Acts of the Apostles is sometimes described as the Acts of the Holy Spirit, and this Holy Spirit demonstrated his importance to the world by the numerous miracles performed by the apostles.

Even though Paul was not among the apostles present in the upper room at Pentecost, his words in 1 Corinthians 2:4 – 5 clearly show the need for the power of the Holy Spirit in reaching both Jews and Gentiles with the Good News. It says,” And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

In our reading from Romans 8:14-17, we see that without the Spirit of God, we cannot put to death the deeds of our sinful self. As children of God, we are to be led by the Spirit of God to live the kind of life that God wants us to live. After all, we are to pattern our lives after that of Christ, but we need the help of the Holy Spirit to do so.

As we go into God’s word it is this Holy Spirit that brings revelation, it is this Holy Spirit that helps to renew our minds, it is this Holy Spirit that is going to build us up and join with our spirit in prayer, it is this Holy Spirit that is going to comfort us, to to guide us, to give us direction. Today, as we celebrate the Day of Pentecost, may we not forget how much we need the Holy Spirit to live the kind of life that God desires for us.

Contributed!