What is Pentecost?

Pentecost is the only Christian holiday mentioned in the Bible. That's because it had already been a Jewish festival before the time of Jesus. Unlike Christmas, Epiphany, or Easter -- holidays which were instituted years after the events they are based on -- Pentecost had already been going on for centuries.

The Feast of Pentecost by He Qi

Pente- is a prefix that means 50, and this Jewish festival occurred every year on the 50th day after the Passover Sabbath. It was originally a celebration of the spring harvest known as the Feast of Weeks, and it was also a time to remember the giving of the law to Moses. On this occasion many pilgrims -- some of whom had been dispersed to far-away countries -- returned to Jerusalem and worshiped at the temple. On the particular Pentecost day described in Acts 2 -- that is, the 50th day after Jesus's resurrection -- the disciples were gathered there according to the Lord's instructions. It was then that the Holy Spirit came in power, manifested by signs: the sound of wind, visions of flames, and the speaking of many various languages.

One of my favorite worship components from Pentecost is the use of the color red, which represents the images of flames (Acts 2) and fire (God's presence when Moses received the law on Mt Sinai). Church altars and pulpits are often decorated with colorful linens known as paraments, usually with two reversible sets that allow for four different colors throughout the year; purple (Advent and Lent) and green (times after Epiphany and Pentecost) come up a lot, but white (Christmas and Easter) is seen less often. Red is rarer still -- in some churches, Pentecost is the only day of the year that it is displayed.

The speaking of various languages is one of the most remembered events from that Pentecost in Jerusalem. Since the tower of Babel in Genesis 11, humanity had been dispersed and scattered across the world, unable to communicate because of their many different languages. On that day of Pentecost, everything was reversed. The people had come from around the world back to one city, and God's Spirit enabled them to hear and share with the same understanding. This is the work of the Spirit through Christ -- to break down cultural barriers and reconcile us together as one (Ephesians 2:13-18). Modern-day Pentecostals put a priority on reenacting the speaking and understanding of strange languages. But the unity that was on display through this hearing and understanding -- the bridging of barriers that separate us -- is the work of the Spirit that all Christians embrace. This unity has been a part of the church's make-up from the beginning -- beginning at Pentecost, which is sometimes called the "birthday" of the church.

Note: You may know Pentecost as Whitsunday, which is a variation of the English words "White Sunday." No one is quite sure why the English started using that name, but its history goes back about 1000 years. If it was up to me, it would be Red Sunday.