By R. Kevin Johnson
This coming Sunday is Pentecost. Coming 50 days after Easter, Pentecost commemorates the day that Jesus’ promise to the disciples was fulfilled and the Holy Spirit descended like flames of fire. This date on the Christian calendar is regarded as “The Birthday of the Church” and how happy we all should be!
In the Old Testament, Pentecost was one of three festivals Jewish males were required to observe. The time of year that the festival occurred was good for travel, and folks from many lands and places attended.
The Jewish Pentecost had both historical and agricultural significance. Jews commemorated the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai and they presented two loaves of bread made from the first crop of barley given in sacrifice at Passover. No servile labor was performed, so it was a holiday for all. Everyone was there and the streets were full.
After the Lord’s Ascension, the disciples worked to restore the unity of the 12. They prayed for a replacement for Judas, and Matthias became the chosen. Then, on the very Pentecost we commemorate this week, we find the disciples meeting together. The Lord had ascended and left them to do ministry on earth. They didn’t yet know what that meant, but they did understand their charge was to work together in unity.
While we speak of the events of that first Christian Pentecost as “the coming of the Holy Spirit,” we must remember that God is eternally Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the book of Genesis the Spirit of God was present, “hovering over the face of the waters.” Acts 1:16 makes it clear that the Holy Spirit was speaking in David. Acts 28:25 talks about how the Spirit spoke through Isaiah. In Acts 7:51, Stephen accuses the Jews of having through their history opposed the Spirit.
From the moment described in the second chapter of Acts, however, the Holy Spirit became the dominant reality in the life of the early church. In the first 13 chapters of Acts there are more than 40 references to the Holy Spirit. Jesus equipped the disciples with a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit so that they would have the ability to fulfill the task that they were given.
Pentecost is most significant because it represents the completion of the mystery of the Trinity. Next week, we discuss Trinity Sunday and the significance of singing in our worship “God in three persons, blessed Trinity.” Doing so, Christians affirm God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and acknowledge a key element of our doctrine.
On this Pentecost Sunday, it is my prayer that there will be a renewed anointing of the Holy Spirit so that we, the church, may be empowered for service. That anointing equips each believer for service — no matter what God calls us to do.
Join me in joyful celebration as we sing together, “Happy Birthday, dear church!”