Pentecost Sunday
June 2006
Pentecost means fifty. In the Old Testament it was the harvest festival, or the feast of the first fruits, and was held fifty days after the feast of the Passover. Hence the name Fifty or Pentecost. Today, Pentecost Sunday, is fifty days after Easter and we remember and celebrate the first fruits of our redemption - the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is not something that wanders about in old houses after midnight, in a white luminescent robe. God is a community or family comprising three persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father created us in his own image and likeness and invites us to live like God and as part of God’s family. The Son became a man and showed us how to live like God. The Holy Spirit helps us, every day, to live like God.
Today we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who is constantly at my elbow urging me to stay cool and not fly off the handle. The Holy Spirit is the one who prompts me to throw a quid into the donation box instead of my usual 10 pence. The Holy Spirit is the one who suggests that I refrain from telling my husband/wife that this is the third time he/she has told me the same joke this week. The Holy Spirit is the one who tries to get me to tell the shop assistant that she gave me five pounds extra in change. The Holy Spirit is the one who wants me to hold on to the empty carton or tin until I get to the next litterbin. The Holy Spirit is the one who tries to get me to ignore the inviting glint in the eye of my mate's partner. The Holy Spirit is the one who wants me to ring up my housebound neighbour to see if he/she needs anything. The Holy Spirit is the one who nudges me awake on a Sunday morning in time to get myself and the family to church. The Holy Spirit is the one who keeps reminding me that that awful neighbour of mine is also a child of God.
So, as you can see the Holy Spirit is quite busy most of the time and deserves our thanks. Today we thank the Holy Spirit.