Originally, Pentecost was a Jewish holiday. It came 50 days after the Feast of Passover and coincided with the wheat harvest. It was a time to get together with everyone else at Jerusalem and celebrate how the Lord provides everything. We do that at Thanksgiving. And just like we celebrate with turkey and a church service, the Jews celebrated with great meals and a special worship service at the Temple. So what you did was you baked two loaves of bread using the grain that you just harvested. You brought these loaves of bread with you to Jerusalem, along with the other items for your offering, and that was part of your sacrifice. When it was your family’s turn to offer your sacrifice at the Temple, the priest would take your loaves of bread and wave them before the Lord and then hand them back to you. The waving motion was a way of showing how that bread, and everything else, comes from the Lord. When the sacrifice and worship service were over, then it was time to get together with the rest of the family and celebrate.

Today Pentecost has a completely different feel to it. Instead of a thanksgiving service, it’s really the birthday celebration of the Christian church. This is the day that Jesus’ disciples boldly proclaimed their faith. This is the day they witnessed what they knew about Jesus. This is the day that tongues of fire settled on their heads. This is the day they were clothed in power. This is the day that the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, came and empowered the disciples, taking away their worries and grief so they could convict the world of sin and point them to their Savior. And even in our own day, we continue to celebrate how the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, comes to us to take away our grief, too, that we might proclaim the message of this world's savior to everyone. 

Happy Birthday!