Pentecost: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles in Jerusalem fifty days after Easter. The Spirit descended as tongues of fire, empowering the apostles to proclaim the gospel in every tongue. The result was the conversion of people from many nations and the baptism of thousands of families. Pentecost thereby fulfilled the prophets and reversed the curse of Babel, uniting humanity in the church of Christ and glorifying the name of God.
Anglicans celebrate Pentecost with great festivity. The whole church keeps the day as a principal feast and a day for baptisms. Local parish traditions include wearing red, highlighting foreign languages and foreign missions, and special activities for children. As the fiftieth day of Eastertide and the tenth of Ascensiontide, Pentecost brings a dramatic conclusion to the dominical calendar and a dynamic launch of Ordinary Time.
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The Day of Pentecost
In the days after the Ascension, the apostles and disciples of Jesus remained together in Jerusalem and devoted themselves to prayer. The book of Acts notes that their number was about 120, and specifically mentions the presence of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Then on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon them:
And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:2-4
The Gospel for the Nations
Why was it significant for the apostles to speak in other tongues? The key point of context is that Jerusalem was home to Jews from all over the world, and that Pentecost was a special occasion for the gathering of the nations. In the Jewish calendar, the Feast of Weeks is one of the three pilgrimage festivals, held fifty days after passover to celebrate the first fruits of the harvest. So Jews from all over the world came to Jerusalem in accordance with the scriptures:
Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.
Deuteronomy 16:16
The book of Acts develops the theme of the presence of the nations with a long list of the peoples who heard the gospel in their own language. They were quite amazed to hear their own languages out of the mouths of the apostles from Galilee!
Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
Acts 2:7-11
Fulfilling Prophecy and Reversing Babel
Amazed by hearing the gospel in their own languages, the people asked what the day could mean. Peter responded with his great Pentecost sermon, in which he explained that God was fulfilling his promise to pour out his Holy Spirit on all flesh. Peter quoted from the prophet Joel:
And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams, even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
Acts 2:17-18, cf Joel 2:28-29
What Peter did not quote, but which the church subsequently came to understand, is that Pentecost also represented a reversal of the Tower of Babel. In early human history, as recorded in Genesis, people gathered to build a tower, seeking to ascend to heaven and to make a name for themselves. As they said:
Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.
Genesis 11:4
In response to their pride, God frustrated their efforts by confusing their language and scattering them over the earth. Thus, the origin of separate nations and languages.
At Pentecost, by contrast, God descended to bring the peoples of the earth back together again. The Holy Spirit gave them the ability to communicate with each other, work together again, and accomplish great things. Pentecost was the reversal of Babel. Only this time, the work of the people would not be a tower to the glory of their own name. Instead, it would be the building of the church to the glory of God.
How Anglicans Celebrate Pentecost
The Anglican church celebrates Pentecost with great festivity, marking it as one of the principal feasts of the Church Year. Congregations also mark the occasion with a host of local traditions.
Baptisms
At the first Pentecost, those who were convinced by the gospel asked Peter what they should do. Peter told them:
Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.
Acts 2:38-39
That day, some three thousand were baptized and added to the church. Ever since, the church has held baptisms on Pentecost. The baptism of children is especially appropriate on this day, reflecting Peter’s teaching and the subsequent practice of infant baptism in the New Testament church.
Wear Red!
The liturgical color of the day is Red, which reflects the Spirit appearing as tongues of fire. In addition to using red in its vestments and paraments, many churches encourage the whole congregation to WEAR RED for the occasion! Some congregations also use the moment to take an annual congregational photo immediately after church.
Ironically, an older name for Pentecost is Whitsunday, or White-Sunday. This comes from the practice of baptismal candidates wearing white. In contemporary practice, when baptismal candidates wear white, and the congregation wears red, it makes for a wonderful color combination, and it fits the white and red of the clerical vestments.
Foreign Languages and Foreign Missions
Some congregations have a tradition of incorporating foreign languages into the liturgy for Pentecost. This can be done in multiple ways, with other languages used for prayers, songs, or readings. Parishes that incorporate foreign languages should include a translation, either in spoken or written form.
Along with foreign languages, some parishes use the occasion to highlight foreign missions, especially those missionary efforts the parish supports financially and with prayer. If a parish supports a mission in Nigeria, for example, you could incorporate a Nigerian language in the liturgy. Then, use the announcements or a meal after the service to share more about the mission.
Activities for Children
Everything about Pentecost is exciting for children. The baptism of babies, the boldness of the color red, the strange sound of foreign languages. Many churches use the occasion to incorporate children into the liturgy through song, readings, or other special activities. This brings joy for everyone, and the excitement can be contagious.
In Conclusion: Keeping the Power in Pentecost
In the midst of all these celebrations, a brief cautionary note is in order. While we enjoy a variety of appropriate Pentecost traditions, let’s be sure we don’t domesticate or tame the message of the day. The gospel proclaimed on Pentecost has a mystery and a spiritual power that escapes our festivities.
The best way to maintain this focus is for the church to keep its eyes on Christ through the word of God and the eucharistic table. As J.I. Packer puts it, the work of the Holy Spirit is to be “a floodlight trained on Christ, so that it is Christ, not the Spirit, whom we see” (Growing in Christ, 81). Especially on Pentecost, the preacher should give serious attention to the proclamation of the gospel, complete with a bold call to repentance and the life-changing promise of forgiveness. And the whole congregation should receive the eucharist with a deep wonder and joy, just as the Jerusalem church did after the first Pentecost.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul.
Acts 2:42-43
In this way, we will experience what we pray for in the Collect for Pentecost:
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.
Image: Pentecostby Juan Bautista Maíno (c. 1520), courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Digitally edited by Jacob Davis and Peter Johnston.
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