Opinion
Pentecost – a season for unity and peace?
As Pentecost approaches, Rev Liz Dawes reminds us of the significance of the occasion for Christians, and explains why it is relevant in today’s turbulent world.
The month of May is significant in the life of the church because it is the time when the Easter season culminates in the Ascension of Jesus to heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The word ‘Pentecost’ comes from the Greek word ‘pentēkostē’ which means fiftieth - referring to the fact that the holiday occurs 50 days after Easter.
In the Acts of Apostles in the New Testament, St Luke tells us about how the disciples experienced the Holy Spirit coming like fire and strong wind. They then started telling others about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The festival, therefore, commemorates the founding of the Christian church.
According to Acts 2:1-4, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and they began speaking in different languages. This event drew a crowd of people who were amazed to hear the Apostles speaking in languages they could understand. Peter then gave a powerful sermon, and about 3,000 people were baptized that day. Wouldn’t that be amazing to witness!
In today’s world of mass communication, with the internet speeding up connections in ways we can barely imagine we might have hoped that people around the world would understand one another better and learn ways to live peaceably but there has been little evidence of that in current times.
The story of Pentecost reminds us that we need the power of the Holy Spirit to break down barriers, help us to understand one another and the world around us better, and to build a church and a society which works on love, peace, justice, and fairness for all. Pentecost is a time to celebrate our diversity and the things which unite, rather than divide us.
This article has also appeared on Network Yarmouth.
Rev Liz Dawes is the Curate for Great Yarmouth Team Ministry. Liz trained as a Reader in 2014 and has also worked with the CYF team at the Diocese of Norwich. She was ordained as curate in 2023.
The views carried here are those of the author, not of Network Norwich and Norfolk, and are intended to stimulate constructive debate between website users.