Pentecost
(The Beginning of the Church on Earth)

The Meaning of Pentecost
Pentecost is often called the birthday of the church because it is the day that the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples in the upper room and they were empowered to go out to preach the Good News of Salvation.

The word Pentecost means "fiftieth day." It was adopted by Christians from the Jews. For them, Pentecost was the Feast of the Weeks, a celebration of the conclusion of the grain harvest. Bread made from the freshly-reaped grain was presented as an offering to God. The Jewish people eventually came to associate the delivery of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai with the Feast of the Weeks.

John 6:30 - 35 tells us: So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life."

Early Christians found in Pentecost not only a thanksgiving for the fruits of the Spirit to supplant the Jewish thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth, but also the date of the founding of the Christian church to supplant the old dispensation symbolized by the delivery of the Law to Moses.

The title, Whitsunday, which means White Sunday, comes from the white garments worn by those baptized at Pentecost, just as the Sunday after Easter was once called White Sunday for the same reason. In the ancient church, the constant color for the church year seasons appears to have been white, or possibly an unbleached white. The first clear reference to another color is to red for Pentecost, in the twelfth century.

Pentecost was the conclusion of the church's first and earliest season, which began with Easter. St. Paul kept Pentecost with the Christians of Ephesus (Acts 20:6), and in the year 58 he spent Easter with the Philippian Christians, "not departing till the feast was over; and he then hastened on his journey and even sailed by Ephesus, in order to keep Pentecost in Jerusalem" (Acts 18:21, 20:6, 16).

What Happened On Pentecost?
Acts 2:1-8 gives us the answer to that question: "When the day of Pentecost came (50th day after the Sabbath of Passover week (Lev. 23:15-16) they (the disciples) were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

"Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: 'Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?'"

The Bible tells us here that "every nation under heaven" was represented that day and heard Peter's address to the crowd in which he interpreted the prophets' sayings, explained that Jesus died and rose again, and gave them the Good News of the Gospel that if they would repent and be baptized, "every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins", they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. God's Word tells us that, "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:39)

These representatives from "every nation under heaven" no doubt went back to their native lands and told of the phenomenal event they had experienced. The seed of the Gospel was therefore cast to the entire world that day. There would be no nation that did not hear of the Good News of salvation. We are called to be God's witnesses in the same way. It is our responsibility to share the Good News with our loved ones and neighbors. The seed has been sown. Let us not trample it out, but nurture it!

Much of the above information is taken from The Christian Year by Edward T. Horn, III.