The Gift of the Father

 Nehemiah 7-8; Acts 1

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised…in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,  and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1:4, 5, 7, 8

In the middle of a Jewish Passover meal celebrating God’s deliverance out of Egypt, the father would ask the children to go and find the ‘afkomen’. The afkomen was a linen cloth in which was hidden a broken piece of matzo bread. The child who found the hidden afkomen brought it to the father and was then invited to ask the father for a gift which would be given to the child by the father at Pentecost. This Jewish tradition was fulfilled by our heavenly Father with the gift of the Holy Spirit for those disciples who have found Jesus. The Holy Spirit is given as an empowerment for mission, here and to the ends of the earth. We are called to be Christ’s witnesses in the power of the Spirit. We don’t save people, Jesus saves. We bear witness to the reality of Christ’s work in our lives, and of his saving gospel.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for sending the gift of the Holy Spirit. I ask for a fresh empowerment today to be your witness to all you have said and done in my life, for your glory.”