Preparing for PentecostSample

Preparing for Pentecost

Shavuot or Pentecost was a festival of anticipation. The Jews today count the Omer or the verbal counting of the 49 days until the 50th day, the day of Pentecost. Jesus told his disciples to wait for it, not to leave Jerusalem. In both cases, there was to be anticipation.

Devout Jews today spend the entire night of Pentecost awake, reading the Torah and especially the book of Ruth (a beautiful harvest story that coincides with the timing of Pentecost). They do this to compensate for the first Pentecost when they failed to be expectant and instead resorted to idolatry and revelry. There is an air of expectancy at Pentecost that God is going to give us something like he gave the Law and then the Spirit.

I imagine the 120 disciples in the upper room (all Jews) in Acts 2 were waiting on the Lord all night. Jews, unlike us, consider that a day begins and ends at sundown. So they were probably in the upper room in an all-night Shavuot vigil of prayer and reading of the Word. These 120 Jewish disciples were reliving the expectancy to receive the Law, but as disciples of Jesus, they were waiting to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

As we prepare for Pentecost let us be aware that God is a God of times, seasons, and festivals. The Christian Pentecost happened 2000 years ago and fulfilled the Old Testament feast. Today we don’t have to ‘tarry’ for the Holy Spirit because He is already poured out. We can receive the Holy Spirit anytime. But, let us prepare to receive from the Lord afresh at this time as we meditate on Pentecost. As we wait for the Second Coming, could it happen on the Day of Pentecost? What has God promised you?  Let’s expectantly receive from the God of Pentecost!