On a particular occasion, this group of close disciples of Jesus were sitting in a locked room, discussing and praying about the events that had taken place just weeks ago.  Namely the murder and resurrection of their leader, whom they believed was the Messiah, the Chosen one of God sent to redeem us.  How should they go on, now that He was not with them in body any longer.

As they talked, the Spirit of God came upon them.  This Spirit energized them – set them ablaze – and they were compelled to go out into the street and begin teaching others about the good news of Christ’s resurrection.  This is what we celebrate in Pentecost!

But, Pentecost wasn’t just for the apostles who felt stuck in the past.  Christians of all ages have had times in their lives when they have felt stuck.  The Spirit is here for us now – TODAY, just as it was for those apostles, that we may be energized with the “good news” to move forward from our place and see the great things that God is doing today.

Answer the call of the Spirit.  Let the past be what it is, take with you what you learn from it, and move outward and forward with this renewed energy for there are many good things our God is doing today and in our future!

Although Pentecost was originally a festival celebration of the wheat harvest in ancient Israel, and of the giving of the law which defined Israel as a nation, for Christians it is known as the time when the power of the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, and is sometimes called the birthday of the church. In that sense, Pentecost, which can also refer to the entire 50 days between the resurrection and the coming of the Spirit, is the celebration of the formation of the church as corporate body. Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit to guide his disciples, just before he ascends to heaven, is sealed with the arrival of the Spirit on Pentecost.

The Spirit of God has, of course, been present since the beginning of creation, but the event of Pentecost marks the moment when the Spirit works to mediate the presence of the Risen Christ to the church community.

Pentecost, then, is more about the corporate body of the church than about the spiritual presence of God to individual believers. The Spirit is now available to guide the church in its mission to bring the Gospel to the world.

The effect on the disciples as they receive the Spirit is interesting in this respect. They begin to speak in languages other than their own, with the crowd who gathers hearing the disciples speak in their own language. This is the reversal of what happened with the curse of Babel, which resulted in confusion and lack of understanding between peoples. Rather, at Pentecost, all are made able to understand the message of the Gospel, and are drawn into the church through the power and understanding given by the Spirit.

What should this mean for us today, as a people of the Spirit? By this indwelling of the Spirit, we ourselves become advocates of God’s presence for others.  It maybe as simple as a reassuring touch or a helping hand.  It might be a sacrifice of time  in volunteering for a task that needs to be done for the good of all. In all, we are called to die to ourselves in order to be the true presence of Christ for others.

Pentecost was originally a Jewish festival. Jewish Pentecost (“Shavuot”) is known by several titles: Feast of Wheat, Feast of Weeks, or Fruits of the First Harvest. Pentecost featured “two loaves of bread baked with yeast,” made from the first fruit of the Spring wheat harvest which was supposed to conclude 50 days after Passover. Those two loaves were “waved before the LORD” in the act of thanksgiving (Leviticus 23:15-20 NIV). Selected animals, such as lambs, bulls and rams, were also sacrificed in the Pentecost ritual.

The official date of Pentecost moves every year because its date is based on the date of Easter, and Easter is dated based on a lunar calendar, not a fixed Roman one. The Eastern Church sometimes has a different date due to a historic disagreement about the dating of Passover.

At Pentecost, the Disciples were empowered by the Spirit to share the Gospel.  Up until then, they had been keeping it to themselves. It is the gift of sharing the Good News boldly, and in such as way as it makes sense to those who hear it. It is not the gift of “speaking in tongues” as some mistakenly think. The Disciples speak in known languages.

It is a powerful metaphor for the Church today, and for teaching the Good News to children.

Pentecost Sunday and Color

Although this is not a season of days, it is important in that it commemorates the sending of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles. This marks the beginning of the Christian Church.

Color: red (tongues of fire associated with the Spirit)

Activities:

• Snacks can be made from strawberries  or strawberry-flavored treats.
• A paper fire with tongues of flame can be made. Each child will put his/her name and a “gift” (something he/she is good at) given by the Holy Spirit on a tongue of fire to add to the fire.

Fruits of the Holy Spirit

Gifts of the Holy Spirit