In many churches this morning, everyone sang the version of “Hail Thee, Festival Day” (or “Hail Thee, Vegetable Day” according to the mis-heard lyrics version <g>) written for Pentecost. This hymn exemplifies what makes Pentecost so important in the life of the Church.
One of the lines reads: “Bright and in the likeness of fire,
On those who await your appearing,
You whom the Lord had foretold
Suddenly, swiftly descend.”
Tying this in to John 7:37-39, we can easily see how much this promise meant to Jesus’ earliest followers, and what this can mean for us, today.
We live in a world where it’s often difficult to imagine any type of divine spirit being at work. The never-ending threat of terrorism, concerns about war, economic and other uncertainties due to political circumstances, all of these are threatening to anyone’s inner peace.
One thing we can take away from this: we live in a world that is thirsty. We need to constantly heed Jesus’ invitation to “drink”, no matter how full of blessed assurance we fancy ourselves to be.
We must constantly remember how to be effective witnesses even against difficult odds. That first generation and subsequent Christians changed the world of their day by:
- Continuing in the teaching received from these early Christians
- Resisting evil and repenting of sin
- Preaching the Good News by word and example
- Striving to love one’s neighbor while acknowledging that we often fall short
- Working for justice and peace
Okay, maybe it’s a tall order in the light of troubling events throughout the world in recent weeks. With God’s help, though, we can do it.
Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
AJ the Irish Lass' Ramblings 
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