Pentecost: The Old and New Testament Connection

Pentecost (celebrated this Sunday, May 26th), a Christian liturgical holiday commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Disciples in the Upper Room, after the Resurrection of Jesus, actually began as a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the God's Law on Sinai.  

What makes this Christian holiday so incredible is the unique connection between the biblical narrative of Old and New Testament promise of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  Did you know that on the day of the Jewish feast of Pentecost, there was a half an hour reading in the temple from the first 10 chapters of Ezekiel and the main focus of the reading is the sound of rushing wind? 

So we have this situation where the New Testament Jews on Pentecost went to the temple to hear readings about the sound of powerful rushing wind and suddenly where the disciples were gathered, there was the sound of rushing wind that shook the house they were meeting. 

Can you imagine the excitement the disciples felt, knowing that the readings they have been listening to for all these years in the temple was finally happening.  It was God's plan from the very beginning of time that our authority and power to be effective missionaries will come from the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. This is why the early missionaries (disciples) were so effective. 

The cool part is that we have this same empowerment as Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to us when he left.  My prayer is that you recognize that you have incredible power that that has been promised to you from the very beginning and has come to earth in a powerful way.  You have power to love radically, to give sacrificially, and to overcome sin and struggle, in short have a meaningful and live a purposeful life.