On the Road to Emmaus

Meditations, musings and traveler’s tales…

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Category: Pentecost

Out of Exile – When the Day of Pentecost Had Fully Come (Part 4)

11 July, 2009 (18:44) | Acts, Pentecost | No comments

As we continue to explore the meaning of Pentecost in light of the narrative of Old Testament history, today our journey brings us to Ezekiel 37. In this passage, the prophet Ezekiel is given a vision in which he sees a valley full of dry bones. In verse 11, the interpretation is given by God, [...]

God is with us – When the Day of Pentecost Had Fully Come (Part 3)

14 June, 2009 (17:17) | Acts, Ecclesiology (Church), Exodus, Pentecost | No comments

In my last post I described the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost as forging the Church as a New Humanity, reversing Babel’s curse of social and national disintegration. Today I would like to look at the coming of the Holy Spirit as establishing a New Covenant marked by the dynamic corporate experience of [...]

We’ve Been Unbabeled – When the Day of Pentecost Had Fully Come (Part 2)

7 June, 2009 (04:05) | Acts, Ecclesiology (Church), Genesis, Pentecost | 1 comment

The advent of the Spirit is actually reversing the curse of Babel. The Spirit of God brings diverse peoples together as one family and one “kin-group.” The Spirit forges the Church as a new humanity which is reunited as a downpayment and sign of God’s eschatological purposes to bring all peoples to unity before God.

When the Day of Pentecost had Fully Come… (Part 1)

1 June, 2009 (04:48) | Acts, Pentecost, Pneumatology (Spirit), Soteriology (Salvation) | No comments

The coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, as described in Acts chapter 2, was an epochal and unrepeatable event in salvation history. This was not simply the first time the disciples received the Holy Spirit (remember, Jesus breathes on them in John 20 shortly after his resurrection). Neither was Pentecost simply [...]

Spirit and Flesh Part 2

15 June, 2008 (02:36) | Christian Year, Hamartiology (Sin), Pentecost, Pneumatology (Spirit), Theology, Trinity | 2 comments

In the last post I developed the idea of flesh/spirit, particularly from the angle of eschatology. To understanding the Spirit biblically, it must be considered in light of eschatology because the Spirit is the life and power of the age to come. The Spirit is not simply a force or power, but a person who [...]

The Person and History of the Holy Spirit Part 1: The Holy Spirit in Context

25 June, 2007 (03:14) | Pentecost, Pneumatology (Spirit) | No comments

In seeking to develop a spirituality that corresponds to the resurrection of Jesus, one that avoids the gnostic and schizoid tendencies of spiritualities that split life in two and quench its vitality, we will take some time to discuss the person of the Holy Spirit specifically related to its history as revealed in the Scripture. [...]

The Spirit of the Resurrection Part 2: Gnosticism and Schizoid Spirituality

23 June, 2007 (16:39) | Pentecost, Pneumatology (Spirit), Theology | 3 comments

In the first part of this series I discussed my desire to take some time in this Pentecost season to give extended reflection to the person and work of the Holy Spirit. In this post, I would like to back track a little and simply give some general thoughts on the path I would like [...]

The Spirit of the Resurrection

13 June, 2007 (16:47) | Christian Year, Pentecost, Pneumatology (Spirit), Theology | No comments

Following my last post concerning Pentecost, I want to spend some of this season following Pentecost offering meditations on the Holy Spirit. Specifically, the direction I want to go is developing a spirituality and an understanding of life in the Spirit that accords with the primary event of Christian faith, the resurrection of Jesus from [...]

Pentecost – The Coming of the Holy Spirit

2 June, 2007 (16:54) | Christian Year, Pentecost, Pneumatology (Spirit), Theology | No comments

This past Sunday was Pentecost, a day on which believers for many, many years have celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit to dwell with and within the people of God.
Even before it was a celebration of the Spirit coming from heaven, it was commemorated by Jews for the coming of God’s law, “from heaven” [...]