The Feast of Pentecost

Thank You Father, for Your faithfulness, astuteness, generosity and utter surety in giving us, unworthy sinful beings, this opportunity of Divine Grace. You have given us grace to receive Your bountiful, blessed Gift of the Holy Spirit. You have offered Him unsparingly, ungrudgingly and uncompromisingly, to all who will receive Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, with unassisted faith – no hesitation, no murmuring, no complaining, no arguing, no second guessing, no doubts and absolutely no fears – so that He abides in all true believers and they abide in Him.

Thank You, our Heavenly Father.

Hallelujah! Praise God! This precious, vital and important Lord’s Day Sunday is being celebrated as Pentecost Sunday in many Christian Churches all over the world. The Feast of Pentecost is always celebrated on the seventh Lord’s Day Sunday after Easter. Many of us view and hold to it as the Birth of the Christian Church.

This day is also known by other names to different believers. Many believers speak of, Pentecost Sunday or Whit Sunday. As a child, I remembered hearing the older folk, especially the women, speak of Whitsun or Whitsuntide. We know that the English refer to it as Whit, meaning White really, with reference to the white garments worn on Pentecost by the newly baptized believers.

The Feast of Pentecost, as most or all of you know, is the fulfilment of God’s promise of the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Do you remember these words of Jesus to His disciples, before His Crucifixion and Resurrection?

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. John 16: 7 – 11 NKJV

And do you vividly recall what Jesus said to His disciples, just a few moments before He ascended back to heaven? It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1: 7 – 8

My fellow, celebrating friends in Christ, today we are:-

• Not just celebrating an important Holy event which took place several years ago.

• Not just remembering something which has become a fixture among believers, a dead icon which we pull out, brush off and clean up once a year, with excitement and dedication.

• Not just musing on that which affords us the opportunity to get extra happy, as we sing, dance, clap and move to some of the most lively and spirited hymns and songs.

• Not just adhering to tradition and practice, as we ensure we are united with others in this time of celebration.

• Not just lawfully doing what is good, proper, right and pleasing to the Church, as we are held up as faithful keepers of Church doctrines.

O No! God forbid! So what do we celebrate? Why should we celebrate? How do we know that we are truly celebrating what is true in our lives?

Tomorrow, we shall examine just a few, made-to-fit facts.