Read Today's Scripture
Acts 28:16-20, 30-31
John 21:20-25
Abide Until he Returns
Tomorrow is the Great feast of Pentecost! We celebrate that 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus ascended back into heaven, and 10 days after his ascension, his Holy Spirit is poured out upon his Church on Pentecost. So today, on the Eve of Pentecost, we are called to prepare our hearts and minds for this Feast. How? By remembering the significance of our own Baptisms; because every Baptism is a kind of mini, personal pentecost, where the Holy Spirit descends upon the Church, one baptized person at a time. And both today’s readings help us prepare for tomorrow. Acts ends seemingly incomplete. Paul is imprisoned, preaching the Gospel and writing letters to the churches he planted. But we know that Paul was later executed. So, obviously, Luke published Acts before Paul’s death. Yet, in God’s providence, this incompleteness bears a reality: that we too, like Paul, although we are ultimately destined to be with Christ, are called to bear witness to his Gospel until that day comes. This is more clearly borne out in today’s John reading. Notice Jesus says that the beloved disciple is to remain until Christ returns. The Greek word meno (or remain) is translated in John 15 as “abide”. In other words, the beloved disciple is to abide until Jesus returns. But when one reads John’s Gospel we realize that we are all called to be beloved disciples because we are beloved by God! Thus, we all are to abide until he returns. And we know that to abide in Christ is to bear fruit—fruit that glorifies God. Baptism then graciously empowers us with God’s Spirit to abide and bear fruit like the beloved disciple, while we wait and proclaim the Gospel like Paul. This is what God’s Spirit compels the Church to do at Pentecost and us to do at our Baptisms. He dares us on an adventure to abide and wait, to bear fruit and proclaim. As you meditate on these truths, may you be inspired by the first verses of Charles Wesley, the great Anglican priest and hymnwriter’s song, “O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing”.
O For a thousand tongues to sing
My dear Redeemer's praise!
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the world abroad
The honors of Thy name.
Collect
O God, who by the glorification of Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit hast opened for us the gates of thy kingdom: Grant that we, who have received such great gifts, may dedicate ourselves more diligently to thy service, and live more fully the riches of our faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.