by Jorge Domingues

Portrait of John Wesley from A. H. Hyde, The Story of Methodism Throughout the World, from the Beginning to the Present Time (Springfield, MA: Willey & Co., 1889), p. 102. Image by: GBGM Administration

After his resurrection, Jesus asked his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for God’s promise and said, “When the Holy Spirit empowers you, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). His promise was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. The disciples were gathered in one place, and the promise came with the sound of a violent wind and the power of tongues of fire resting over each one of them. Filled by the Holy Spirit, the disciples began to speak in other languages, enabling them to reach people from every nation.

This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost, and the power of the Holy Spirit given to the church and to each one of us. It is a gift that moves us out of our singular places into the whole world. It is the power to become witnesses of Jesus at every moment of our lives. It is the call to be in mission at home, at our neighborhood, at our nation, and to the end of the world.

Today, the Holy Spirit empowers The United Methodist Church to be in mission -- responding to the needs of those who are at our side, the poor, the migrant, the children; and to be in mission with those who are far from us, in our country or in other lands. Our mission concern incorporates those who need hope, who demand justice, who lack access to education or health.

John Wesley wrote in his Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament that the miracle of the Pentecost “was not in the ears of the hearers, but in the mouth of the speakers. […] The Gospel speaks with a fiery and flaming [tongue].” The miracle of the Pentecost today is seen in a church committed to mission and is heard from the mouth of Christians who speak the bold message of Christ. At Pentecost, we share what we have received from God.

Jorge Domingues is Associate General Secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries for Mission Contexts and Relationships.

Visit our Pentecost Resources webpage.

	See Also... Topic: Christian love |  Communities |  GBGM programs |  Jesus Christ |  United Methodist Church |  Geographic Region: World |  Source: Mission Contexts and Relationships
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Date posted: May 25, 2007