Here is the bad news: Pentecost will likely not have the prestige of Christmas and Easter. In some ways we are still trying to persuade evangelicals of the need for the Church Calendar. But we move on with our agenda. It is crucial to know that we are talking only about Classic Reformational and Lutheran celebrations which include Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost.a In other words, these are conspicuously Christ-Centered feasts. These feasts exalt the work and name of Jesus.
Some may say, “But we celebrate Easter all year long. Why do we have to set time aside to celebrate it in particular?” While this comment is noble, it is important to note that you can’t say everything all the time lest you say nothing at all. In other words, there is simply no way to celebrate all these events all the time. Hence, the Church has developed a way of celebrating, remembering, and internalizing the life of Jesus throughout the year.
So, what is Pentecost and what are some ways we can celebrate this Feast?
Pentecost means the fiftieth day because it is the 50th day after Passover. This was also the Feast of the Harvest. In fact, we can say that Pentecost in Acts 2 is the great fulfillment of all previous Pentecosts. The Old Testament Feasts led us to this fiery moment of redemptive history in the first century. The Great Harvest Feast is now being fulfilled and God is harvesting the nations, and since Christ is sitting at the Father’s right hand, the nations are being given to Jesus Christ as an inheritance (Ps. 110).
How can I celebrate this Feast?
Pentecost goes from the 24th of May to October 31st. One way to be liturgically self-conscious is by putting a few things into practice.
First, you may consider wearing something red this Sunday. Remember the promise of Acts 2 that the Spirit would be poured out like fire. Pentecost is the re-birth of the Church. Red symbolizes the fire that came from heaven and indwelt the Church as they moved from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Secondly, use this time to talk to your children about the Holy Spirit. The Third Person of the Godhead is often set aside as the forgotten Person of the Trinity, but he should not be. We must remember that Jesus refers to the Spirit as our Comforter (Jn. 14:16). Reading Acts 2 and other passages about the work of the Spirit is a healthy way of bringing recognition to the One who is truly God.
Thirdly, allow this feast, which celebrates the reversal of Babel, to be a reminder that God has made a new humanity through his Spirit. We are no longer a divided ethnos, we are one new creation of Jews and Gentiles, blacks and white. Live out gospel reconciliation in every possible situation.
Fourthly, educate yourself about other Church traditions. As a Reformed pastor, I can honestly say that I have learned much from my Anglican, Lutheran, and Baptist brothers and sisters. Pentecost is a reminder that our differences should never cause us to divide from other Trinitarian believers.
Finally, do not be hopeless in this season. God has not left us orphans. The absence of Jesus’ physical body on earth means his presence at the right hand of the Father in heaven ruling and reigning by his Spirit forming a resurrected creation under his reign.
Happy Pentecost! Rejoice greatly! The Spirit is among us!
- There are some special celebrations within these main ones like Trinity Sunday (back)
