Pentecost

Just in case you don’t know, this coming Sunday we celebrate Pentecost, the day we commemorate receiving Jesus Christ’ gift of the Holy Spirit – or at least that is the Christian tradition of Pentecost.  As with many Christian holy days, Pentecost finds its roots in the Jewish faith.  The word “Pentecost” comes from the Greek meaning “the fiftieth” and originally it was 50 days after Passover. 

The Hebrew Scriptures never mention Pentecost.  (The Greek term became popular with the spread of the Greek language as the common language in the Middle East.)  In the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the “Old Testament”), the celebration is call the “Festival of Weeks” or “Shavout” (Exodus 34:22; Numbers 28:26-31; Leviticus 23:15-21). This festival was observed 7 weeks from the second day of Passover, on which an offering of barley sheaf was given. All adult males were required to travel to the sanctuary to take part. The Feast of Weeks was observed after the Israel people settled in the Promised Land. On this day, no work was permitted. The people would gather at the Tabernacle to thank God for the spring harvest. It marked the time when the first fruits of the wheat harvest were gathered and offered to the Lord.

In Jerusalem circa 33 A.D., this festival tradition continued just has it had for millennia.  It makes sense that many people from so many different places (Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt, etc.) were present at the time.  It also makes sense that when people began speaking in different languages, they were accused of being drunk, even at 9 o’clock in the morning. It was a harvest festival after all!

It is helpful for Christians to know the origins of our traditions, but it is also important that we don’t use them to subjugate their original meanings.  That is way I am not a big fan of having a Seder supper on Maundy Thursday. Jesus’ commandment to love one another is its own event beyond the remembrance of the Passover. Similarly, our celebration of Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit 50 days after Jesus resurrection, not a harvest festival 50 days after Passover (forgive me for the over simplification of Shavout). While having similar roots, the traditions are independent from each other.

With all that being said, we recognize the specific wonder of our Pentecost feast in the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is difficult for me to imagine what a world without the imminent presence of the Holy Spirit would be like. Perhaps it would just feel like something critical was missing from a picture of a person, like a person’s eyes or nose.  It was also probably really difficult for the apostles to explain the Spirit presence to others (remember, according to the Gospel of John, the risen Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to the apostles in the upper room John 20:22).  It would be like describing colors to someone who has always been blind.  But when the Spirit is present, you can feel it because the presence is practically tangible.  I’ve know non-religious people comment on “feeling peaceful” in a holy place.

Since that awesome day 2 millennia ago, all who seek the Spirit will find her. By celebrating Pentecost, we remember what it feels like to be ignited with God’s love and power.  We need this recharging just as much as we need to remember Jesus’ birth and death narratives, perhaps even more as it gives us inspiration to do God’s work in the world.  So come be part of the fun and feel the Spirit’s presence in you!  And remember to wear something RED!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Give God the Glory

Reflections on Chapters 12-14 of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles Years ago, I had a grandparent chargingly ask me if it was OK for her to be proud of her granddaughter, because she had been taught, “Pride goeth before the fall.”   I assured her that being proud of her grandchild was not a sin when the feeling was offered in thanksgiving of the accomplishment and not boosting up one’s own ego. “Look at what I have done,” has been the down fall of many people because they neglect or forget those that helped them achieve their goals. The Book of Acts shares story after story of the importance of acknowledging that all power and might comes from God, to whom we should offer our thanks and praise.   When our egos take over and we congratulate only ourselves for what we have done, we become idolatrous. Chapter 12 records an terrible story of King Herod’s response to the apostles.   He outright kills James and then arrests Peter, who is guarded by over 30 men....
Read more

Good Lord, Deliver Us

Today is the “Hallmark Holiday” Valentine’s Day.  Some of us will mark the occasion by wearing red or remembering at the last minute to buy a card or flowers of one’s beloved.  But my thoughts and prayers are with the 17 families of Parkland, Florida who mark today as the first anniversary of living without a loved one who was killed in a shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.  It seems hard to believe a year has past since that awful day, which also happened to be Ash Wednesday.   Due to that fact, I was not as “plugged-in” that day and only got snippets of information between services.   As the details emerged, it was tragic and heartbreaking, taking on a surreal shimmer as most unthinkable acts do. Unfortunately, it was quite real, and the aftermath will be felt forever. I don’t know any of the victims, however I feel a connection to Carmen Schentrup, who was a 16 (almost 17) year old senior with big plans. She was also Episcopalian. ...
Read more

Transformation

Reflections on Chapters 9-11 of the Acts of the Apostles A little over a year ago, on the Feast of St. Paul’s Conversion (January 25), I wrote a blog post entitled “People Don’t Change – Until They Do.”   In our cynical world, too often we dismiss the idea that transformation can be a reality: that a criminal can be rehabilitated; an addict can remain in recovery, a “sinner” can become a “saint.” It is true that, being human, many of us fall short of complete change (I’ve lost and gained the same 40-50 lbs. many times in my life). However, such skepticism neglects the power of the Holy Spirit at work in peoples lives.   As we continue to read through the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, an essential art of what the author is sharing with us are amazing stories of such radical transformation that the only thing that can account for it is the Holy Spirit. And it begins with Saul.   He is the perfect villain in the story of the apostles.   No one was more opp...
Read more