No exceptions
Daily Scripture
Acts 2:14-18 (quoting Joel 2:28-29)
14 Peter stood with the other eleven apostles. He raised his voice and declared, “Judeans and everyone living in Jerusalem! Know this! Listen carefully to my words! 15 These people aren’t drunk, as you suspect; after all, it’s only nine o’clock in the morning! 16 Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young will see visions.
Your elders will dream dreams.
18 Even upon my servants, men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Imagine being in that crowd at Pentecost. You hear people who, a week earlier, had no particular standing, suddenly speaking with authority about God. Your first instinct, like the crowd’s, might be to explain it away. Peter didn’t offer an argument. He offered a guest list. Quoting the prophet Joel, he said God’s Spirit would fall on sons and daughters, young and old, even slaves. Here’s what’s interesting about that word “even”: it wasn’t a footnote. It was the whole point. The people least likely to be given a voice were exactly the ones the Spirit chose to speak through.
It would be easy to hear that and think mostly about ourselves, about what dream or gift the Spirit might finally unlock in us. That’s not really what Peter was pointing at. The question isn’t just what is the Spirit stirring in me; it’s really asking, who is the Spirit stirring me toward. Joel’s prophecy was never about individual fulfillment. It was about a Spirit so unconcerned with rank and status that it kept crossing every line people had drawn to decide who mattered and who didn’t.
- Is there someone in your life the world has quietly ranked as having less to offer, because of their age, their position, their past, or their background? What would it look like to treat them the way Peter treated that Pentecost crowd, as someone the Spirit might be speaking through right now?
- When you feel a stirring or a nudge from God, do you tend to ask, what does this mean for me before you ask who is this for? What would it take to flip that order?
Prayer
Gracious God, your Spirit has never waited for permission or rank before choosing someone to use. Keep me from mistaking your work in me for something that begins and ends with me. Give me eyes to see who you’re calling me to include, and the courage to hand them the floor. Amen.
GPS Insights
Valerie Nagel
This is one of my favorite passages about the Holy Spirit. I love how the prophet Joel boldly proclaimed how much God loves us by blessing us with the Spirit and giving us unique gifts to live out our faith as we are guided by the Spirt. When I hear the words of the prophet Joel, I hear an invitation to fully experience God’s love, a call to step out in boldness, and a challenge to how we often understand power.
God loves us so much. Joel proclaims that God will pour out God’s Spirit on all people. ALL. No exceptions. Every single person would be blessed. If we listen to one another, we can hear the visions, dreams, and prophesies the Spirit is speaking through us. How incredible is it to know that God is with us?! God has goodness for us. And God wants us to experience the fullness of God’s love here and now.
The challenge of these words is that we must listen to one another, and we must listen with discernment. I grew up in religious communities that said they valued women, but their actions did not show that. I am so grateful to serve on a church with so many female pastors. It is so encouraging to be invited to serve with the gifts I bring as a pastor, a woman, and a mom. My voice is unique to me, and I feel welcome to share it here at Resurrection.
It’s important to remember that every voice, every dream, and every vision is meant to be weighed with what we know about Scripture, about our experiences with God, and with our knowledge of God and community. This means that no one’s voice is more important than another. Any flex of power because of earthly status has no place in our churches. We need the voices of those who are often marginalized in our society. When we listen together for God’s Spirit we’ll experience the joy of God’s beloved community.
