The Spirit Will Pour Out
Scripture Reading — Joel 2:28-32
I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
On this Saturday in May, many colleges and seminaries will hold graduation ceremonies. Congratulations to our graduates! As a seminary president who stands before men and women who have completed their education and are ready to commence or continue on their ministry journey, I will be reminded of this passage in the book of Joel.
On Pentecost Sunday, this is the passage the apostle Peter referred to when he explained the good news of Jesus. There are many Scriptures to choose from, but if you had to address people who were skeptical, fearful, and even amazed, which passage would you choose?
Peter drew from the prophet Joel, who speaks about the outpouring of the Spirit on all people. This prophecy and its message are not for a select few, or even a single nation, but for everyone.
In a moment in time, God pours out his Spirit and inaugurates a new day for his relationship with his people. Prophecies, visions, and dreams that were once reserved for a select few are now distributed through young and old, men and women. A new day has come, and it has one ultimate purpose: the skeptical, the fearful, and the amazed are invited to call on the name of the Lord and be saved.
Lord, bless all our graduates who commence to a new stage of life. May your Spirit be poured out on them, and may they serve you well wherever they are called. In Jesus, Amen.
About the author — Julius T. Medenblik
Rev. Jul Medenblik is a former attorney who was called to pastoral ministry and became the founding pastor of a church in New Lenox, Illinois. He is currently serving as president of Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jul and his wife, Jackie, are blessed with a son, Joshua, and a daughter, Julianne.
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