Tim’s
Tidings
Today
is Pentecost Sunday. For Christians,
Pentecost is commonly known as the “birthday of the church.” It is when the Holy Spirit descended upon the
prayerful followers of Jesus, empowering them to proclaim the good news of
Jesus Christ in the native tongues of the many pilgrims in Jerusalem.
Pentecost
originated as a Jewish harvest festival of thanksgiving to God, 50 days after
Passover. At Pentecost heaves of grain
were waived in praise and the first fruits of the harvest were offered to God.
Christians understand Pentecost as a powerful feast of salvation, because it
speaks about the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, about the founding of the
Church, and about the Final Judgement.
We
celebrate Pentecost by the wearing of the color red, symbolizing the “tongues
of fire” that descended upon the disciples, empowering their witness. Other countries go to greater lengths. In Denmark, Pentecost is a holiday and
children get the following day off from school, though not all persons even
know the origin of Pentecost. In Italy
rose petals are scattered from the ceilings of churches to remind worshippers
of the descent of the Holy Spirit. In
France it is customary to blow trumpets to simulate the sound, “like the
rushing of of a mighty wind,” that accompanied the coming of the Holy
Spirit. In Poland and the Ukraine,
greenery is used to symbolize Pentecost because of the new life salvation
brought to 3,000 believers that day and for a desire of blessing. In Greece and other Eastern Orthodox areas,
Pentecost is second only to Easter as a Holy day. All night prayer vigils are held where
worshippers kneel and prostrate themselves, foreheads touching the ground. It is also a day for baptisms, remembering
the 3,000 that responded to Peter’s Spirit inspired preaching on that original
day.
For
me the good news of Pentecost is that it is a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in
Matthew 28:20, “Lo I am with you always.”
Pentecost celebrates the presence of the Holy Spirit of Christ, God with
us today. It is wonderful to know that
the Holy Spirit loves us as children of God, works in our experiences of
knowing God, teaches and counsels us in Christian living, gifts us for service,
and intercedes for us as we lift our prayers to God—even those prayers of our
“guts” that are impossible to put into words.
May the Spirit of the living God fall afresh upon us in this Season!
Blessings,
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