The Day of Pentecost (A)—Acts 2:1–21

4th Century B.C.E. Thracian urn on display
Iskra Historical Museum, Kazanlak, Bulgaria

Photo by the author

A Brief History of Bulgaria

                  or

Ode On A Thracian Urn

The Thracians with their works of gold,

And then Bulgarians of old,

The Byzantines of Empire East,

Then Bulgars once again increased,

Then people under Turkish "yoke"

(A word old hatred still evokes)

Revival that was long delayed,

Turks overthrown with Russian aid,

A culture trying to transpose

Until the Communists imposed

A system that would steal the hearts

Of each one's worth and diff'ring arts.

Oh, can a country grow in pride

When hist'ry o'er the years decries

First one group, then again, another,

Believing only blood makes brothers?

Oh, can God's Spirit work its power,

Not by religion, but by showers

Of truth and hope and understanding?

And can we all, our love expanding,

Perceive with empathy each child

Of God, who on the world still smiles?

Oh, let us put our racial pride

And fear, and wrongs, and guilt aside

And work like heav'n to make a world

Where flags of love are e'er unfurled.

Scott L. Barton

 

He Qi: The Holy Spirit Coming

in The Art of He Qi

Oh, What Would They Do?

A sound like the rush of a violent wind

Filled the whole house with all of them there;

These tongues, or this ruach, this fire, appeared,

Like an answer to all of their prayers;

Oh, what would they do, with their Lord up and gone,

Out of sight, vanished, gone, disappeared?

Thus, fire from heaven, like Sinai encore,

All their doubts of the kingdom then cleared:

The news of salvation is not some obscure

Or exclusive thing meant for a few;

All manner of folk, of all nations on earth

Now are given the love that makes new.

Scott L. Barton

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.’