Pentecost Sunday

We shouldn't have been surprised

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all found together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind., and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues. as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Acts 2:12-4

This was the power Jesus spoke about, Don Francisco tells the story very well in song:

 Meditation

We shouldn't have been surprised, not if we'd had any sense;
it was what we'd been told to expect, what He'd promised us.

But we never imagined anything quite so extraordinary, We were waiting, It's true.

gathered together as so often before, but we'd been doing that for days.
and our confidence had taken a hammering. We were going through the motions, that's all,
Telling each other He hadn't forgotten us;

talking of the future as though we still believed in it, yet wondering in our hearts if there was anything to look forward to.

I. mean, what could we hope to achieve when all was said and done. What reason to think that we, a motley bunch if ever there was one, should fare better than our master?

We wanted to carry on his work, don't get me wrong: we wanted to tell people what had happened, help them find faith for themselves, but how could we even hope to begin?

So we kept the doors locked and sang our hymns and said our prayers and hid our doubts.

UNTIL, suddenly it happened! I can't properly describe it even now, but it changed our lives. It was as though a mighty wind blew away the cobwebs, a refreshing breeze revived our flagging faith, a breath of air stirred our spirits.

as though a tiny spark rekindled our confidence, a tongue of fire set our hearts aflame, a raging inferno swept away our fears. As though life had begun again, the world became a different place, and each of us been born anew.

I know that doesn't make sense, but it's the best I can do. You'll have the experience it for yourself to understand. And you can, just as we did.

Believe me, we never would thought it possible, despite all Jesus said to us. We were lost, lonely, frightened, hopelessly aware of our weaknesses, searching for our strengths, we never thought we'd change a soul, let alone the world, but that's because we had no idea how God could change us!

PRAYER

Gracious God, thank you for extraordinary moments that change our lives, giving us joy and fulfilment we never imagined possible.

Thank you especially for the great gift of your Holy Spirit - and experience that transformed the lives of the Apostles, that has changed the lives of countless believers across the centuries, and that has power to reshape our lives here and now.

Open our hearts, minds and souls to your loving presence so that we shall know your life-changing power for ourselves.

Amen.

(thanks to Kevin Mayhew.com for allowing us to use this material: 'Light of Life' by Nick Fawcett)

• Aintree Baptist Church.
• 96 Longmoor Lane
• Liverpool
• Merseyside
• L9 0EF

Pastor: 07771 696915
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