Just as God was present in His son Jesus, God is now present through His Holy Spirit. Pentecost is often spoken of as the “birth” of the Church. That very day, some 3,000 people were baptized as the people of God (verse 41). Wear Colorful Clothes. Each year we often hear that Pentecost is the “birthday” of the Church. It is an apt metaphor: The Church, which you could say had been growing in utero in the persons of Mary, the Twelve, and the small community of disciples, now emerges into the world. It's interesting to note that Saint Peter, the first pope, was already the leader and spokesman for the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday. The resurrected Jesus himself orders the apostles to stay in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. God had moved once and for all through his Son to rescue humanity from sin and death. The day called Pentecost is named after the Greek word pentekostos, which means 50th. Help us continue by donating here. Because you are part of the body of the Church, Pentecost is the Church's birthday, and yours as well. Dr. Stephen De Young is Pastor of Archangel Gabriel Orthodox Church in Lafayette, Louisiana. And like any birthday, it's a cause for celebration. The Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church. The Church, like Mary, is about new life. Certainly today we need a fresh infusion of the Spirit so that we "demonstrate God's goodness to everyone" (Act. Pentecost was the second of the three major festivals that all Jewish males were required to celebrate in Jerusalem. Lines from Handbook of the Christian Year (Abingdon, 1986) repeat a widespread notion about the meaning of Pentecost: "For Christians, Pentecost commemorated the birthday of the church…" (p. 21). Copyright Massachusetts Bible Society © 2021 Registered 501(c)(3). The Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church. Pentecost is only mentioned in one chapter in the New Testament. It certainly is a seminal event in the book of Acts, for at that time the twelve apostles (Matthias has just replaced Judas Iscariot, 1:24-26) are filled with the Holy Spirit, they speak so that those gathered in Jerusalem from all over the world can understand, Peter preaches, and 3000 people are baptized (2:1-41). . Other names for the day are the Feast of the Harvest and Day of First Fruits (Exodus 23:16; Numbers 28:26). Just as God was present in His son Jesus, God is now present through His Holy Spirit. On Pentecost, we invite the same Spirit that filled the disciples that day to transform our lives. Because you are part of the body of the Church, Pentecost is the Church's birthday, and yours as well. That is why Pentecost is often called “the birthday of the Church.” On this day, with the descent of the Holy Spirit, Christ’s mission is completed, and the New Covenant is inaugurated. Preschoolers are eager for parties, especially birthday parties, and will happily celebrate the birthday of the church with cookies or cupcakes and candles. https://allsaintsbythesea.org/pentecost-birthday-of-the-church Paul has just said that this body of Christ is where “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” ( 1 Cor. Pentecost is often spoken of as the “birth” of the Church. That baptism of the Spirit would be called the birthday of the church. Young children enjoy acting out stories and dressing up. The birthday of the Church. This is why Pentecost is known as the birthday of the Christian church. The authority that Christ gave his Apostles through the Holy Spirit extends through the bishops today. Pentecost came at the end of the wheat harvest in Palestine, and they were to take this new wheat, the first fruits of the harvest, and bake of it two loaves. Even if they would receive this Spirit at the same time, it would be quite different. Marking the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, it celebrates the birth of the Church because when the apostles received the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit, they were emboldened to go out and preach the Gospel to everyone even in foreign languages. Pentecost is called the birthday of the church. The word Pentecost is Greek and it means "50th day." Cardinal Seán’s most recent pastoral letter to the Church of Boston, “A New Pentecost: Inviting All to Follow Jesus” opens with just that image. So this lesson may be particularly appropriate at that time, but could also be used any time in exploration of the Bible text found in Acts 2. The indwelling Spirit, the Comforter or Advocate Jesus had sent, was replacing the external “schoolmaster” Law of Moses that had supervised ancient Israel’s worship under the old covenant (Galatians 3:23-25). Pentecost has long been a very important feast in the Catholic Church. The word Pentecost is Greek and it means "50th day." So no, Pentecost is not the birthday of the Church. Stephen De Young Rev. The authority that Christ gave his Apostles through the Holy Spirit extends through the bishops today. At the first Pentecost over 3000 people were baptized, creating the first church. . Jesus’ words were fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. Seven weeks elapsed between the day of the wave sheaf offering and the beginning of Pentecost, thus the name of the festival — the Feast of Weeks. Pentecost was not the beginning of the church but the empowering of the New Testament manifestation of God’s people. Stephen Freeman It is a commonplace in some circles to celebrate Pentecost as the Church’s “Birthday.” It is well-intentioned, perhaps even true in some sense, but tends to render the Church as something it is not. They wouldn’t receive it as a body, as an empowered group. Perhaps the Holy Spirit came on the Jewish day of Shavuoth, or Pentecost, to signal that God had now moved to write the Law not on tables of stone, but in the hearts of his people through the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3). Pentecost is a birthday, the anniversary of the covenant which has created God’s people Israel. And like any birthday, it's a cause for celebration. Many Christians celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the church and the coming of the Holy Spirit.The holiday falls 50 days after Easter Sunday. It is then that they will receive the “power” that they need to carry out their mission (Acts 1.8). It began at Pentecost. Pentecost is our birthday as a believing people. Did you know that the feast of Pentecost is often referred to as the birthday of the Church? I would say that the "majority opinion" is that Pentecost is the "birthday of the church." A writer from an "Orthodox perspective" argues that the Church Fathers held that the Church had no beginning but that it existed before all things. The story of the Pentecost miracle tells us that God is present in the world again. Dr Anthony Barta called the Pentecost “a sort of a joyous celebration.” His denomination, the Presbyterian Church USA, has even set aside a special Pentecost Offering where individuals give to local congregations and local congregations set aside nearly 40% of that offering for its own local use. Can anyone explain? If we fail to understand the nature of the Church in All of this shows how the New Testament has its roots in the Old. As such, it is the “birthday” of the Church, in other words, the beginning. Birth of the church is a good metaphor for the day of Pentecost although the Bible does not use it. Instead the church is founded; they are a group; they are together. It ranks, after Easter, as the second festival of the church, and there are references to its celebration as early as the 4th century. It’s Pentecost Sunday, the 50th and last day of Easter. That is why Pentecost is often called "the birthday of the Church." The story of the Pentecost miracle tells us that God is present in the world again. The reference to the event as the "birthday of the church" is, so far as I know, a more informal label, not an official one. Dispensational theology on the other hand, teaches that the church was born on the Day of Pentecost and did not exist in history until that time. It is the festival observed by Jews, Shavuoth, sometimes called in the Old Testament the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22; Leviticus 23:15; Numbers 28:26; Deuteronomy 16:9-12). This name is said to arise from the ancient practice of newly baptized individuals wearing white robes during this time. 12.7). Each member nevertheless is a significant part of it. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples and instructed them for 40 days, after which he ascended to heaven. I heard a Christian podcast arguing the Pentecost is not the birthday of the Church. Pentecost is when the Christian church received, and was empowered to carry out, its grand assignment of evangelism. This festival had come to signify for Jews the commemoration of the giving of the Law of Moses (the Torah) at Mount Sinai in the third month after the Exodus Passover (Exodus 20–24). It’s interesting to note that St. Peter, the first pope, was already the leader and spokesman for the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday (see Acts 2:14ff). Appreciate these answers? So this lesson may be particularly appropriate at that time, but could also be used any time in exploration of the Bible text found in Acts 2. There were of course essential previous events–the birth and earthly ministry of Jesus, and what directly precedes Pentecost. 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