Happy Birthday!
Pentecost means 50th day in Greek. Pentecost Sunday is the 50th day after Easter in which we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and followers. This is the beginning of the Apostles going out and sharing Jesus' message which marks the birth of the church. Pentecost is a day to celebrate because prior to the Holy Spirit's presence, followers were afraid to share Jesus' message. Barriers were torn down on this day.
Birthdays are days to celebrate the beginning of someone or some thing. We think about all of the reasons why we love that person. What are the reasons why we love our God? Our faith? Personally, I am grateful to have people in my life that really seem to embrace the Holy Spirit and lead me by example. I, unfortunately, rely on myself too much many times and fail to see God's grace in the moment. I really focus on seeing how God works in other people's lives but often overlook my own despite my belief.
Recently I was talking with a group of friends about the eclipse and the Northern Lights. Everyone was discussing how interesting and how exciting they thought it was. I said I couldn't understand how anyone could look up into the sky and witness those events and not believe in God. One person said only one word - "Science" - and kind of laughed. I smiled and said ultimately this is God's Design. I guess for me the science of it took a backseat to the awesomeness of these powerful occurrences.
So I started thinking of ways to celebrate Pentecost while calling on the Holy Spirit to guide me. I read several articles about making a birthday cake, decorate the cake with red (liturgical color for Pentecost), wear the color red as an outward symbol, pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance. But I really want to spend more time praying to the Holy Spirit and tearing down barriers in my life that keep me from God. So my plan for Sunday is to pray for different people who are being guided by Jesus, those that embody the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. I hope you all have a blessed weekend.
