This past week, I made a claim during worship service that I think is important to expand on!
I was preaching about Pentecost and suggested that Pentecost did not fully happen in the
Upper Room, but it happened when the disciples left the room and went out into the
community to spread the Gospel. To further address this, there are a few questions that
immediately rise to the surface:

1) What does Pentecost mean?
2) Why were the disciples in the Upper Room and not already out in the community?
3) How does this impact us today?

Pentecost was originally a Jewish harvest festival known as the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot.
The word “Pentecost” comes from the Greek word ‘Pentēkostē’: meaning ‘fiftieth,’ because
it was celebrated fifty days after Passover. In the Hebrew Scriptures, it marked the
completion of the grain harvest and later became associated with the giving of the Law to
Moses at Mount Sinai. Jews from across the known world would travel to Jerusalem for this
pilgrimage festival, which is why Acts 2 describes so many different languages and nations
gathered in the city on that day.

What happens in Acts 2 is significant because the Holy Spirit arrives during an already
sacred Jewish gathering to a weary, worried, yet worshipping group of disciples hiding in the
Upper Room behind locked doors.

The disciples were in the Upper Room because they were afraid of what Roman guards
might do to them if the guards found them. They were also confused about how to execute
what Christ had instructed them to do: “Stay in Jerusalem until you receive power…” They
did not know what that meant, how they would minister to the nations, or even – where they
should go next. So, the Upper Room became a place of retreat and hiding while they
discerned their next moves.

One of the things I love about this moment is that while they were hiding, they chose to
worship and pray.

They could have spent their time complaining: blaming Jesus for not giving them all the
details, blaming Peter for not defending Jesus, blaming Rome for killing Jesus, or blaming
themselves for not being courageous enough to stand against the empire. Instead, Acts
tells us that the disciples were together on one accord—worshipping, praying, and singing
together. It was during this moment that the Holy Spirit descended upon them like cloven
tongues of fire.

This moment becomes a test case for each of us about what to do when we need
power. What do you do when you feel powerless? What do you do when your strength is
running low? You find a room and pray. You worship. You spend time praising God until
you receive power. That was the purpose of the Upper Room. The Upper Room is where we
go to receive power. Outside is where we go to fulfill Pentecost.

Once the disciples received the Holy Spirit and began speaking in foreign tongues that
those outside could understand, they could now proclaim the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Pentecost reached beyond the room when Spirit-filled believers shared with
others the revelation of a risen Savior.

Beloved, here it is – Pentecost happens daily whenever believers share the good news
that Jesus lives with strangers, friends, neighbors, and communities. That is
Pentecost!

Sundays are important. You cannot go out if you have not first been in. But once you have
been filled with the Holy Spirit in worship, then it is time to leave the room and fulfill
Pentecost in the world.

So here is your call to action: May you experience Pentecost afresh and anew today.
And may you have the courage to leave the room. Amen.

Rev. Dr. Ronald Bell, II