Pentecost is a wonderful, multilayered celebration for the Christian
Church. It marks the day when the Holy Spirit descended on the
disciples, giving them the wherewithal and energy to spread the Good
News of Christ into the whole known world. It is, in that way, the
“birthday of the Church.”
The richness of the story continues with imagery of the dancing tongues of fire upon the disciples, the rush of a mighty wind (that great Hebrew and Greek pun that the same word means spirit, wind, and breath), the speaking in different languages, and the sharing of the Gospel in words and shortly in deeds. So the Church has picked up the themes of celebration, birthday, wearing bright reds to worship, moving air, and flames. Congregations have waved pom-poms, decorated birthday cakes for the Church, floated helium balloons, whirled pinwheels, jingled wind chimes, tossed red paper airplanes, fired up big fans, tweeted those little party favors, thrown streamers, and danced in the aisle, all to get into the “spirit” of Pentecost.
It makes for a delightful, enthusiastic celebration, a bit different from most congregations’ rather staid typical Sunday worship. And when you add in our congregation’s tradition of Celebration Sunday led by the Children and Youth Ministry Team, it will be a wonderful week for us. I hope you can make it to the party!
Preachers, theologians, commentators, and such have for a long time reminded us that we followers of Christ are “Easter People,” people of resurrection and hope and confidence in God’s love. A few years ago I found my spirit stirred by someone saying that even more, we Christians are a “Pentecost people.” It adds a sense of moving outwards in the world, of spreading the Good News more and more widely, of being empowered and emboldened to make a difference, of celebration and power and joy. (And, frankly red flames are just cooler to me than white Easter lilies!) It is that outward impulse, into the world, that I most resonate with as a Pentecost person.
With a combination like the children doing a skit about Pentecost, celebrating the Sunday School and youth group year, having our children and youth sharing their music, the stirring story of Pentecost, a birthday cake for the church, and general flame-bedecked festivities, I hope you can pull out some red clothes (or at least a red scarf or tie or bright red shoes) and get into the Spirit of Pentecost this Sunday.
Have a wild and wonderful Pentecost!
In Christ,
David
Texts For Sunday Worship:
The richness of the story continues with imagery of the dancing tongues of fire upon the disciples, the rush of a mighty wind (that great Hebrew and Greek pun that the same word means spirit, wind, and breath), the speaking in different languages, and the sharing of the Gospel in words and shortly in deeds. So the Church has picked up the themes of celebration, birthday, wearing bright reds to worship, moving air, and flames. Congregations have waved pom-poms, decorated birthday cakes for the Church, floated helium balloons, whirled pinwheels, jingled wind chimes, tossed red paper airplanes, fired up big fans, tweeted those little party favors, thrown streamers, and danced in the aisle, all to get into the “spirit” of Pentecost.
It makes for a delightful, enthusiastic celebration, a bit different from most congregations’ rather staid typical Sunday worship. And when you add in our congregation’s tradition of Celebration Sunday led by the Children and Youth Ministry Team, it will be a wonderful week for us. I hope you can make it to the party!
Preachers, theologians, commentators, and such have for a long time reminded us that we followers of Christ are “Easter People,” people of resurrection and hope and confidence in God’s love. A few years ago I found my spirit stirred by someone saying that even more, we Christians are a “Pentecost people.” It adds a sense of moving outwards in the world, of spreading the Good News more and more widely, of being empowered and emboldened to make a difference, of celebration and power and joy. (And, frankly red flames are just cooler to me than white Easter lilies!) It is that outward impulse, into the world, that I most resonate with as a Pentecost person.
With a combination like the children doing a skit about Pentecost, celebrating the Sunday School and youth group year, having our children and youth sharing their music, the stirring story of Pentecost, a birthday cake for the church, and general flame-bedecked festivities, I hope you can pull out some red clothes (or at least a red scarf or tie or bright red shoes) and get into the Spirit of Pentecost this Sunday.
Have a wild and wonderful Pentecost!
In Christ,
David
Texts For Sunday Worship:
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