Dear Friends,
The disciples were gathered in Jerusalem to wait, as Jesus had instructed them. A great many Jews had gathered there for the Festival of Weeks, Shavuot, one of the three pilgrimage festivals during which all Jews were expected to travel to the great Temple. The word Shavuot had been translated to Greek as Pentecost, meaning “fifty days.” The ancient harvest of wheat was begun on the second day after the Passover and lasted for seven weeks. On the day of Pentecost, the harvest was celebrated. Over time, the festival also came to commemorate the giving of the Torah, the Law, to the people on Mt. Sinai.
Our Christian Pentecost, fifty days after Jesus’s resurrection, celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit among the Jews gathered in Jerusalem. Jesus had promised this, and, as the disciples waited, “suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability . . . about God’s deeds of power.” That day, we are told, “those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added” to those who would follow Christ.
Come this Sunday as we, the saints in our own time, celebrate in communion with all the saints what some now call the “birthday of the Church.” Wear red, the color of flame, as we renew our baptismal vows and celebrate the Spirit that guides and empowers our life in community, and bring a dish for our parish potluck!
Wishing you every blessing,
Mtr. TJ