— — — —

Gospel Reading:
The Fellowship of the Believers

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
 All the believers were together and had everything in common.
 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.
And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:42-47).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

When the day of Pentecost came,
they were all together in one place.
 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came
from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
 When they heard this sound,
a crowd came together in bewilderment,
because each one heard their own language being spoken.
 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?
 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
 Parthians, Medes and Elamites;
residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene;
visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism);
Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another,
“What does this mean?”

Some, however, made fun of them and said,
“They have had too much wine.”
(Acts 2:1-13).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives,
a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.
 When they arrived,
they went upstairs to the room where they were staying.
Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew;
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew;
James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
 They all joined together constantly in prayer,
along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

In those days Peter stood up among the believers
(a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said,
“Brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through
David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus.
 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”

 (With the payment he received for his wickedness,
Judas bought a field;
there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.
 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this,
so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:

“‘May his place be deserted;
    let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and,

“‘May another take his place of leadership.’

Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men
who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us,
 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us.
For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.
 Then they prayed,
“Lord, you know everyone’s heart.
Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry,
which Judas left to go where he belongs.”
 Then they cast lots,
and the lot fell to Matthias;
so he was added to the eleven apostles.
(Acts 1:12-26).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)