The Feast of Pentecost
Contrary to popular belief, there are not two major festivals in the church year, but three. Although most people would come up with Christmas and Easter as major festivals, far fewer people would be likely to mention Pentecost. Is this simply because the retail world hasn't picked up on Pentecost, or are there other reasons that people simply forget about this church festival?
In a sense, Pentecost marks the birthday of the church. It occurs 50 days after Easter, and marks the coming of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Jesus. You see, without the Holy Spirit, there wouldn't be any church. There wouldn't have been any converts after the time of Jesus himself without the Spirit working through Jesus' disciples.
"Why," you might ask? - Because it is the Holy Spirit who brings people to faith. In his explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles' Creed, Martin Luther writes, "I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and kept me in true faith." It is the Holy Spirit who works faith in our hearts, and it is the Holy Spirit who works through us in order to bring other people to faith.
It is also the Holy Spirit who forms us into a church. The apostle Paul often wrote about the gifts of the Spirit, which are given for the building up of the church - the Body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4:11-16). Without the Holy Spirit, there would not be a church and we would not have the ability or the power to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Perhaps some of the difficulty people have in accepting and celebrating the reality of the Holy Spirit comes from the fact that it isn't as easy to picture as Jesus might be. For the Spirit, we use symbols, just as we do to represent the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is often symbolized either by flames (from Acts 2:1-21) or by a dove (from Luke 4:21-22). However, of course the Holy Spirit is usually present and at work without us actually seeing either one! Instead, we see the "fruits" of the Spirit's presence and work: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).
One way to think about the Holy Spirit is as the spirit of Jesus. This Spirit is poured out on those who believe in Jesus, in order that they might continue the mission and ministry that was begun by Jesus during his life on this earth. Thus, we pray for the Spirit's presence and power at every baptism, and at confirmation, and as people affirm their baptismal covenant with God.
This year, Pentecost falls on May 27th, and the season after Pentecost (also known as the season of the church because of the Holy Spirit's activity) continues throughout the summer and well into the fall. May God bless our continuing celebration of the Spirit's gift of life!
In Christ,
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore |
