BIBLE PASSAGE — When the day of
Pentecost had come, they were all 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.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation
under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this
sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered,
because each one heard them speaking in the
native language of each. Amazed and astonished,
they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking
Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of
us, in our own native language? Parthians,
Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia,
Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia
and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya
belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome,
both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in
our own languages we hear them speaking about
God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and
perplexed, saying to one another, “What does
this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They
are filled with new wine.”
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised
his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and
all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to
you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are
not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine
o”clock in the morning. No, this is what was
spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last
days it will be, God declares, that I will pour
out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, and your young
men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and
women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy. And I will show
portents in the heaven above and signs on the
earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon
to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great
and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the
name of the Lord shall be saved.’
— The Day of Pentecost,
Series C
