05/24/2026
“He will teach you all things.” John 14:26b
Pentecost
Pentecost is the name used by Greek-speaking Jews for the Jewish feast of Shavuot. It is a festival of first fruits, when God is given an offering from the land’s early produce. Ancient Jewish tradition connected this feast with the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mt. Siniai. Its name, “Pentecost,” refers to its placement on the calendar - fifty days after Passover - and it is now associated with the Christian feast commemorating the coming of the Holy Spirit. After Christ’s ascension into heaven, his disciples met in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. While they were together, the sound of a rushing wind filled the room and the Holy Spirit fell upon all, manifesting in flames of fire. The disciples began speaking in the languages of the Gentile nations and they were empowered to fulfill Jesus’ final command to “go into all of the world, baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Fifty days earlier, Jesus had promised that he would ask the Father to send the Helper (the Holy Spirit) who would be with them forever. Now, in the presence of all, this promise was fulfilled.
The cultural chaos following the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70 led to conflicting traditions in how to calculate Passover. Today, Western Pentecost, Eastern Pentecost, and Jewish Shavuot all fall on different days. This reminds us to pray that through the Holy Spirit’s power, all of his people will be fully unified in his truth and love.
Almighty God, on this day, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you revealed the way of eternal life to every race and nation: Pour out this gift anew, that by the preaching of the Gospel your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Art & history by Ben Lansing
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