Today is Pentecost Sunday. Christians remember the events recorded in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit filled those gathered at “the house” (aka The Temple). This gift of the Holy Spirit is so important to remember, but there’s even more to celebrate! Many Christians do not realize that Pentecost is one of the three pilgrimage feasts of the LORD, mentioned in Deuteronomy 16:16 as the Feast of Weeks. Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, Jewish people gathered for this celebration in Jerusalem and God sent his Spirit. Originally a festival for the wheat harvest, at the time of Jesus it also […]
Tag Archives: Pentecost
Your Invitation to God’s “Holy Day” Celebrations
Happy new year! I hope you are having a good holiday season. I use the word “holiday” deliberately here, not to obscure the centrality of Christ in Christmas, but to focus on the literal definition of “holiday”: a “holy” day. Throughout the year, we have various celebratory days that are “set apart” (that’s what “holy” means). The rest of the days are common, or unholy, by contrast. There’s nothing wrong with these ordinary days; they’re just not special like the others. As we start a new calendar year, did you know that God has a calendar full of scheduled holy […]
Why is Pentecost important for Gentile believers?
Yesterday was Pentecost. Because of its importance, I want to add one more post. We’ve already looked at how it most likely took place at the temple and how Luke tied it into the giving of the Torah. But, both of these are Jewish connections. Is there any special significance for those of us Gentiles (non-Jews)? Reversing Babel In Genesis 11, we read how people try to build a tower to the heavens: The people rebel against God. Each person seeks his own way to the heavens as they desire to make a name for themselves. God comes down in […]
What does Pentecost actually celebrate?
Many Christians think of Pentecost solely as a Christian holiday without realizing it goes back much farther. The Feast of Weeks is a feast initially prescribed by God to celebrate the first of the wheat harvest (Leviticus 23:15-21, Numbers 28:26-31, Deuteronomy 16:9-12). In Hebrew, it is called Shavuot, which means “weeks” (7 weeks after Passover); in Greek, it is Pentecost, meaning “fiftieth” (50 days after Passover). By the era of Jesus (and still today), it also became a time to celebrate God giving the Torah on Mount Sinai. Jewish sages had studied the Scriptures and made this time correlation between […]
Where in Jerusalem did God pour out the Holy Spirit?
This Sunday is Pentecost, remembered this weekend by some churches. Christians associate Pentecost with Acts 2 and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I want to explore a few aspects of it, starting by focusing on its location. Below is a picture of the Cenacle, a Crusader-era structure built over the site believed by some to be the “Upper Room” where Jesus held his last Passover, the Last Supper. Most tourists are told that this is the location where the events of Acts 2:1-4 and the outpouring of God’s Spirit occurred. But who cares where the outpouring of the Spirit […]
When the Spirit Came
There was one more holiday I would have liked to stick around for in Jerusalem which was today (Sunday): Shavuot (Feast of Weeks / Pentecost). Coming 50 days after the Sabbath of Passover, it remembers the giving of the Torah at Mt Sinai. The Shavuot after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension imbued it with additional meaning because the Holy Spirit came upon them at this time. Jesus had promised that his departure wasn’t the end. Rather, it ushered in a new beginning. The first Shavuot gave the Torah; that Shavuot empowered them to better live it out. While I may […]
Seven Weeks Later
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:35-38 Seven weeks ago was Easter Sunday. That makes today Pentecost Sunday. Interestingly enough, this year Jewish and Christian Pentecost fall on the […]
Traveling Assembly
When the day of Pentecost came, [the apostles] were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, […]
A New Adventure
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4 Today is Pentecost on the Christian calendar. (The Jewish calendar reckoned it on last Wednesday) Honestly, I don’t think the Church gives this […]
Holiday Weekend
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Colossians 2:16-17 Monday was Memorial Day, a day in the US where we remember those who have fought in our wars and gone before us. Sunday I mentioned it was Pentecost. That made for a full holiday weekend, but also an enjoyable one. Perhaps you’ve read on my blog about the various festivals mentioned […]