PENTECOST SPECIAL
HOW do you turn fear into confidence? Bitterness into joy? Rudeness into civility? What turned a small band of downcast fishermen into bold heroes of faith?
PENTECOST reminds us of the power of God to transform lives. Pentecost is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The Season of Pentecost continues the celebration begun on Pentecost Sunday (May 19 this year), the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the proclamation of the Word, and the growth of the church. The season comprises the 11 to 16 Sundays beginning with Pentecost Sunday and continuing through to the third Sunday in August.
The colour of Pentecost is red, representing the flame of the Spirit igniting the church for mission and minister in the world.
Pentecost (fiftieth in Greek) was the New Testament era term for the Jewish festival of Shavuot, which took place 50 days after Passover. Originally a spring harvest festival, Jewish tradition had associated the holiday with Moses the law-giver. As with other great festivals, Jews living in the diaspora were expected to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem.
After Jesus’ resurrection, His disciples (many of whom were fishermen) were gathered together on Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit fell on them. They spoke in languages understandable to the diverse pilgrims and preached about Jesus.
As a result, the church was born with 3,000 people who distributed their possessions, “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2.42, 44). The ancient harvest festival was turned into a harvest of the Spirit. The law of Moses was transformed by the law of love. Hearts of stone were turned into hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 11.19).
A NEW CREATION
Luke, the author of Acts, saw this as more than just a localised revival. It as an act of re-creation and new covenanting. It was God’s act, creating a new era, foretold by the prophet Joel: “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh” (Joel 2.28; Acts 2.17). That new creation reverses the cultural chaos of the Tower of Babel, where God came down and confused human language (Genesis 11).
At Pentecost the Spirit of God again came down and empowered the apostles to speak in the diverse languages of the crowds. Understanding was again granted. By the power of the Holy Spirit, language and cultural barriers were broken down. It was the creation of a new body of chosen people, determined not by ethnic heritage but by faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 2.21).
The message of Pentecost cannot be contained in one day or season.
However, the church year helps us, not only to remember the texts and traditions surrounding Pentecost, but to pattern our very lives after the Holy Spirit, who still dwells among us, empowering and renewing the life of Christ’s Holy Church.
As individuals we live our own lives according to the urgencies of day-to-day life. But God has a story also, as Dr James Sanders, an American professor of Biblical Studies, says. As we live in the seasons of the church our lives are formed by God’s redemptive story, the very real drama of God’s love for creation.
For churches that observe the Christian year there are several variations on the Season of Pentecost. For many Protestants, as well as the Roman Catholic Church, the six months between Pentecost Sunday and Advent are called Ordinary Time or the Sundays after Pentecost.
It is a period in which there are no special days to mark sacred time, so they are simply counted as “ordinal” days (The United Methodist Book of Worship). The emphasis is on the proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the growth of the church. For that reason they will use the colour green.
The Methodist Church in Singapore currently designates the first half of this period as Pentecost Season and the second half (beginning the 4th Sunday of August) as Kingdomtide.
TRINITY SUNDAY
Immediately following Pentecost Sunday, some churches will celebrate Trinity Sunday. The Methodist Church affirms the orthodox doctrines of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – as declared in the creeds.
Trinity Sunday should be more than formal recitation of doctrine, but a celebration of God, the Father and creator of the universe; God, the Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, who redeemed us from sin and showed us God’s true nature of Love; and God the Holy Spirit, sustainer, comforter, and power for the church and proclamation of the Kingdom.
GOD’S REDEMPTIVE STORY
‘The message of Pentecost cannot be contained in one day or season. However, the church year helps us, not only to remember the texts and traditions surrounding Pentecost, but to pattern our very lives after the Holy Spirit, who still dwells among us, empowering and renewing the life of Christ’s Holy Church. As individuals we live our own lives according to the urgencies of day-to-day life. But God has a story also, as Dr James Sanders, an American professor of Biblical Studies, says. As we live in the seasons of the church our lives are formed by God’s redemptive story, the very real drama of God’s love for creation.’
The Rev George Martzen is Minister Attached to the Bishop’s Office, The Methodist Church in Singapore.