About Hope
Hope Lutheran Church
God’s Work, God’s Way
Pastor’s Letter May 2024
This year, the third Sunday in May is Pentecost. It is unfortunate that this great feast day of the church is often neglected. This is partially because of its typical proximity to the great American holiday of Memorial Day. We should remember and give thanks to God for the brave men of the armed forces who have given their lives to defend us, but because Pentecost is a day of far greater significance, it ought to be celebrated with far greater vigor. Historically, the Church observed the feast of Pentecost with a series of services surpassed only by the Church’s greatest feast of Easter. (Believe it or not, until the last two to three hundred years, the feast of Pentecost was celebrated more extravagantly than Christmas!)
If you have a fondness for the Vigil of Easter (which we have observed at LCR the last three years), you might be interested to learn that there is a historic Vigil of Pentecost (observed on the Saturday night before Pentecost). This Pentecost Vigil had some similarities to the Easter Vigil, though much simplified. The service would begin in a darkened sanctuary with a series of prophecies and collects being read. At the conclusion of the prophecies, the Great Litany would be sung. As the litany concluded, the pastor would change from his violet vestments into a red chasuble, and the service would continue with the Kyrie, Gloria in Excelsis, and the Divine Service (as at the Easter Vigil).
As a lover of the liturgy, I find these historical notes fascinating—not so much from an academic perspective but because the liturgy both confesses and shapes what we Christians believe. I don’t have to think twice about confessing my sins (either the need or the method of doing so) because the Divine Services teaches me to confess my sins weekly (or more often!). I don’t need to think twice about praying the Kyrie because the Church’s liturgy teaches me to pray “Lord, have mercy” regularly. The Bible is a big book, but the liturgy of the Church teaches generations of Christians how to apply the Scriptures to their own lives in a practical way.
This is why it’s a shame that the Vigil of Pentecost is no longer observed among us. If nothing else, the Vigil of Pentecost would teach us that Pentecost matters just as much as Christmas and Easter. On Christmas, our Lord Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be incarnate for us men and for our salvation. On Easter, our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead, conquering sin, death, and the devil for us. At Pentecost, our Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter until His return on the Last Day. Without the coming of the Holy Spirit, we would not be preserved in the faith until our Lord’s return (never mind being brought to faith in the first place).
I realize that this may sound like an apologetic for the liturgy. Insofar as it is, that’s fine. But that’s not my
primary concern. I share this with you because the history of the Church has much to wisdom teach us about applying the Scriptures to our lives. As we noted, the Bible is a big book, so allowing the lectionary to shape our reading of Scripture (especially at the key moments of the church year) allows us to read God’s Word according to the wisdom of the saints who have gone before us.
With this in mind, I would like to offer you a suggested reading list for your own devotion on the day before Pentecost (Saturday, May 18 this year) so that your observance of Pentecost can be informed by the same texts that countless Christians before you have used to meditate on the Holy Spirit’s coming—both His historic coming at Pentecost and His continual coming through the Word. Feel free to use all or some of these suggestions:
Genesis 22:1-19 (The Holy Spirit seeks to sanctify our faith, like Abraham’s.)
Deuteronomy 31:22-32:4 (The Holy Spirit sustains faith in our stubborn hearts.)
Isaiah 4:1-6 (The Holy Spirit makes us holy and washes us clean in Holy Baptism.)
John 14:15-21 (The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, who teaches us to love Christ and obey Him.)
May your observance of Pentecost be blessed this year as you are filled with God’s Word and Spirit!
In Christ,
Pastor Akers
Hope Lutheran Church meets weekly at the VFW Post located at 41 Canoe Club Road in Hampden at 2:30pm each Sunday for a full Divine Service with Holy Communion followed by a Bible study.