Pentecost!
What is your favorite faith holiday?
Families plan big get togethers for Christmas. We decorate our homes – inside and out. We bake up a storm – sharing all the caloric goodies with everyone the whole month of December. We hunt for just the right gift to bring a smile to our loved ones. We hold candles and sing hymns that stir our hearts in holiness on Christmas eve.
Families plan big get togethers for Easter, too. We bake the ham. Put bunnies on the table. Hide eggs in the backyard. Gorge ourselves on Cadberry eggs and jellybeans. The old wooden cross and a crown of thorns brings tears to our eyes. We vow to love more like Jesus and to live as he did.
What about Pentecost? My latest pet peeve is that as Christians we go all out to celebrate Christmas and Easter, but what about this significant holiday in our faith? I think it is time for Pentecost to have its due!
Christmas – God came down to us.
Easter – Jesus rose, defeating sin and death.
Pentecost – the Sprit arrived for all of us, all the time.
The Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Time to celebrate!
What is Pentecost?
Pentecost is the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit to the early Christians. It marks the birth of the Christian church and means “fiftieth day,” as it is celebrated fifty days after Easter.
Red is the liturgical color for this day. Red recalls the tongues of flame in which the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples.
A tradition of some churches in ancient times was to baptize adult converts to the faith on this day. The newly baptized catechumens would wear white robes on that day, so it was often called “Whitsunday” or “White Sunday” after these white baptismal garments.
On the 50th day after the Sabbath of Passover week, the Jews celebrated a festival of thanksgiving for the harvest. It was known by different names:
Feast of Weeks (Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:10)
Feast of Harvest (Ex. 23:16)
Day of First fruits (Num. 28:26)
The “Feast of Weeks” was the second-most important festival for the Jews. (The most important was Passover.) This explains why so many people from all over the Roman Empire were in Jerusalem on the day when the Holy Spirit arrived. (see Acts 2)
You can read more about this special day in these previous blog posts about Three Pentecost Symbols and The Power of Pentecost.
Celebrating Pentecost
How will you celebrate Pentecost?
I helped to decorate our sanctuary this week for the big day. I love the felt tongues of fire on the Christ candle and the baptismal font.
We have a fan with red, orange, and yellow streamers ready to turn on during the children’s sermon. I will share with story of Pentecost with them and use the example of we can feel the wind of the fan, but can’t see it. That is a great metaphor for the Holy Spirit.
The kids will also receive cupcakes with flames of fire on the icing. After all, it is the birthday of the church! You have to have cake, right?
Since tongues of fire appeared that day, some churches hold chili cook-offs after church. Wouldn’t that be fun? I plan to serve chili at our house on Pentecost this year.
I had so much fun compiling ideas for this special day, I put them together on a Pentecost Celebration Ideas Guide. You can download it here for free. I even included the recipe for the cupcakes with the flames of fire, too.
My goal? Celebrate Pentecost in ways like we honor the other significant Christian dates. We are starting to give this event more recognition at church, now I want to bring it home more. I’m visualizing red candles and roses for the Pentecost centerpiece on my dining room table. Maybe create a red wreath with flowing red ribbons for the front door.
Next year, let’s decorate our homes and host a family get together to welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives that day and always. Join me?
How do you celebrate Pentecost?
Hi Jean! Pentecost is considered the birthday of the church, because of so many converts that day. We try to remember to wear red. But you know, I just love your attitude about making this day a real feast. You have a really valid point about celebrating like Easter or Christmas. You go girl!
I’m looking forward to celebrating on Sunday, and I’ll remember your advice.
Blessings,
Ceil
I think we need to elevate this celebration, Ceil. One step at a time. I actually looked around yesterday in stores for any ideas, decor with red to bring home to use. Going to Hobby Lobby tomorrow hoping to find some things so I am ready for next year. Yes let’s celebrate this Sunday!!
Our current church does not celebrate Pentecost either. But one church where my pastor-husband served had a liturgical dance team of children. They helped lead in worship every 4-6 weeks. One Pentecost I remember they danced with long red, yellow, and orange ribbons. At one point in the performance, they danced up the aisles and swirled the ribbons over the heads of people in the congregation. It was very moving! (Just wish I could remember the music they used.)
One step at a time, Nancy in gaining people attention to this important event and how it still impacts us today. As I wrote this I thought about liturgical dance so was glad to see you mentioned it. Wouldn’t that be a great feature to add to this celebration? Great idea!!
I’m sorry to say much church doesn’t really celebrate Pentecost, but I would love to. They do mention it, however, so that’s more than my former church did. 🙂 Progress!
Just ponder what an important moment Pentecost is in our history and our lives today and I shake me head that we don’t talk about it more. Our church is just beginning to mention it more and emphasize it. I hope its spirit grows though each year.
Fabulous ideas, Jean! Yes, we should celebrate Pentecost both in church and at home. I will definitely download your guide included here. Wish I could see the looks on the children’s faces when they see those cupcakes!
Blessings!
I think I am more excited to share those cupcakes than they probably will be. I think they are so cute. And I am going to give them bubble too. So lots of goodies this week at church.