Pentecost

by Don Palmer

“And when the day of Pentecost had come….”  Pentecost is a time to ponder, to be grateful for, to recharge our batteries.

Originally an agricultural festival, the Jews subsequently began celebrating Pentecost on the fiftieth day after the Passover.  By the time of the destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70), the festival was exclusively to recognize God’s great gift of Torah, the Law. It is remarkable that the Jewish celebration and the Christian memorial feast both celebrate God’s gifts.

“They were all together in one place..” Then suddenly the sound of a rushing wind, and divided tongues of fire appeared. Thence a tongue of fire rested upon each of them. The Holy Spirit had descended upon the  Apostles, commissioning and empowering them to preach Christ, and Him crucified. Peter, to the surrounding crowd: “This Jesus, God raised up and we are all witnesses. Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God made Him both Lord and Messiah.”

There is debate about exactly what happened at Pentecost, whether it is repeatable, or if it was only for that time and in that place. What was the intent of the Apostles speaking in several languages? Quite apparently, one intent was to declare the universality of the Message.

On Pentecost the altar hangings are red, symbolizing the fire of Pentecost and the fire of the Apostles and early followers, as they were empowered to proclaim the Gospel. Pentecost is for us a day to celebrate and perpetuate the work of God through His Holy Spirit. It is a day of celebration, re-creation, and renewal of purpose, mission, and the work God does through His people.

For something over a century there have been sects and small denominations and isolated churches, whose members seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, in the manner of the Apostles at Pentecost. In the practice of their faith, they reproduce speaking in tongues (“glossolalia”), and proclaim other gifts from the Holy Spirit (“charismata”), such as prophecy, healing, casting out evil spirits (exorcism), and divination. They are often “slain by the Spirit”, rendered prostrate during their exuberance. These are loosely affiliated as “Pentecostals”. There is no unifying order and no agreed-upon doctrine. Pentecostals are the fastest growing Christian movement in the world, with several hundred million members in the aggregate.

We may sense that the practice of their religion is a bit foreign to us, or different, and so it is. It is of note, though, that a recent Gallup poll of people of several denominations found that the Pentecostals led all in their belief that religion is relevant to daily life; the Episcopalians were at the bottom of the heap.

We have been chastened, and we can learn from our chastening.