What about Pentecost?
Pentecost is perhaps the least understood of the events observed in the Christian Calendar.
Christmas, for many obvious reasons, is the most accessible and universally acceptable of the these events. Less so are the solemn events surrounding Jesus' death and resurrection. These milestones of the church year demand much more of those who would observe them, requiring a deeper commitment not only to the events commemorated, but to their meaning for faith and life.
Then along comes Pentecost. How do we access it's meaning, let alone assess it? Where are its holiday markers: it's wreaths or cross or basket of eggs? The Book of Acts tells us that on the Jewish feast of Shavuot (Pentecost in Greek), Jesus' followers were gathered in an upper room when without warning they experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit accompanied by strange occurrences—the sound of a strong wind with apparitions of flames that looked like human tongues resting on each individual in the room. Immediately, we're told, the occupants began to speak in different languages.
What do we make of this? Instead of answering that question, perhaps a better way to approach Pentecost is to consider where we are today. Are we a people of faith? Do we trust in Jesus as the One on whom we can bet our lives? Do we affirm that the church is the community of God’s people commissioned by Christ to bring the Good News in word and deed to a world loved by God? Do we accept our role as representatives of Christ? If our answers are affirmative, then the mystery of Pentecost starts to unfold. We see why, through the perils and pitfalls of history and human folly, the church continues its mission of proclaiming the Good News about Jesus to the world. We see where personal faith in Jesus arises in human hearts and why some people come to believe. We see people actually change when they become followers of Christ. But most of all, we are humbled by the action of God’s Spirit to maintain and prosper the work of Christ today in ways that we could not previously have imagined much less invented. While the mainline churches of Europe and North America may be said to be in decline, the faith is growing exponentially in Africa and Latin America in unconventional ways that have also taken hold in the northern hemisphere, where God’s Holy Spirit is still at work today doing His work of renewal in the churches—including our own! This is Pentecost.
Christmas, for many obvious reasons, is the most accessible and universally acceptable of the these events. Less so are the solemn events surrounding Jesus' death and resurrection. These milestones of the church year demand much more of those who would observe them, requiring a deeper commitment not only to the events commemorated, but to their meaning for faith and life.
Then along comes Pentecost. How do we access it's meaning, let alone assess it? Where are its holiday markers: it's wreaths or cross or basket of eggs? The Book of Acts tells us that on the Jewish feast of Shavuot (Pentecost in Greek), Jesus' followers were gathered in an upper room when without warning they experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit accompanied by strange occurrences—the sound of a strong wind with apparitions of flames that looked like human tongues resting on each individual in the room. Immediately, we're told, the occupants began to speak in different languages.
What do we make of this? Instead of answering that question, perhaps a better way to approach Pentecost is to consider where we are today. Are we a people of faith? Do we trust in Jesus as the One on whom we can bet our lives? Do we affirm that the church is the community of God’s people commissioned by Christ to bring the Good News in word and deed to a world loved by God? Do we accept our role as representatives of Christ? If our answers are affirmative, then the mystery of Pentecost starts to unfold. We see why, through the perils and pitfalls of history and human folly, the church continues its mission of proclaiming the Good News about Jesus to the world. We see where personal faith in Jesus arises in human hearts and why some people come to believe. We see people actually change when they become followers of Christ. But most of all, we are humbled by the action of God’s Spirit to maintain and prosper the work of Christ today in ways that we could not previously have imagined much less invented. While the mainline churches of Europe and North America may be said to be in decline, the faith is growing exponentially in Africa and Latin America in unconventional ways that have also taken hold in the northern hemisphere, where God’s Holy Spirit is still at work today doing His work of renewal in the churches—including our own! This is Pentecost.
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