Pentecost \PEHN-tih-kawst\ n:

Pentecost \PEHN-tih-kawst\ n: A great name for a ’57 Chevy convertible, the birthday of the church, or the longest most ordinary time of the church year.
 
Pop quiz: What are the three major festivals of the CHURCH year?
And your answer is…
Okay, forget for a second that you are reading an entry on Pentecost. If you weren’t, would you have named Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost? Really? With God as your witness?
Speaking of WITNESS, Pentecost is all about witness and fire!
Pentecost was the day that the Holy Spirit came and lit a fire – quite literally (read all about it in Acts 2) – under the witnesses of the church. On the day of Pentecost – fifty days after the first Easter – tongues of fire appeared on the disciple’s heads, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began witnessing to Christ. Some people refer to this day as the birthday of the church.
Each year the church (all around the world) celebrates its birthday – that is, the day the Holy Spirit came and lit a fire in us – by marking the festival of Pentecost. The church also celebrates the season of Pentecost, which lasts from the Day of Pentecost until the first Sunday of Advent. It is the longest season of the church year.
See also: Church; Holy Spirit; Tongues (speaking in); Witness; Apostolic Mission

Apostolic Mission \ap-us-STAH-lihk-MIH-SHUHN\ A loosely organized effort to spread the world that, after a period of about 70 years, pretty much succeeded.

The story of the “Apostolic Mission” begins with Pentecost. (see above) On the first Pentecost, Jerusalem was crowded with foreign-born Jews who were in town for the Jewish festival of weeks. The followers of Jesus had been told to stay in Jerusalem and “wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4). There they sat. Until that fateful fiftieth day when – woosh! The Holy Spirit came upon those followers and, spilling into the streets, they began to tell about Jesus. And here’s the neat trick: they told about Jesus by speaking in the native language of those foreigners that were in the city that day. A crowd gathered, and Peter had to explain that everyone was perfectly sober, since it was only nine o’clock in the morning. (We’re not sure why the time of day makes a difference, but maybe that says more about us than anything else.) Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached. It was the first Christian sermon and it must have been a pretty good one since “about 3,000 were added to their number that day.”
The miracle of Pentecost is, in fact, a perfect metaphor of the Apostolic Mission. The mission of those early apostles was, put simply, to get the word out – to translate the gospel into other tongues, cultures, and world-views. The members of Jesus’ inner circle of followers were called “Apostles,” and it was these twelve Apostles who were originally charged with leading the mission to spread the word (When you think “apostle,” think “emissary,” or “ambassador,” or “messenger.”) Generally speaking, these apostles were eye- and ear-witnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In addition, “signs, wonders, and miracles” were “the things that mark an apostle” (2 Corinthians 12:12).
The top two definitions are taken from {Crazy Talk} edited by Rolf Jacobson. They’re a great refresher as we inch up on Pentecost Sunday in a couple weeks. While we might enjoy the social scene, the opportunity for charity, or getting our emotional needs filled – the heart of our purpose is our mission – our Apostolic Mission.
Someone once told you about Jesus. What or who Jesus is, what God/Jesus means in their life, how they see God differently than others. Were it not for them, you wouldn’t be here. Were it not for the people who told them about Jesus – they wouldn’t have told you. The whole heart of why we are a community, become voting members, get baptized, come to worship, sing our hearts out, etc. – is our calling to talk to one another about God. Have you ever told someone about Jesus? In the cheesy way or in an authentic way? Have you ever spoken about Jesus in church? What’s stopping you? Email me and tell me what stops you from telling other people about the God you know: [email protected].