Joy of the Feast!
This weekend, we in the Orthodox Church celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. On this great Feast Day, God gave humanity the gift of the Holy Spirit, the pledge of a new Promised Land.
Pentecost was one of the major Feasts of the Jews, the Feast of Weeks, a harvest festival celebrated 50 days after Passover. It was the Feast of Joy and Thanksgiving for God’s protection and His rich provisions. It was a celebration of the great acts of deliverance in history and His gift of the Promised Land.
In similar manner, the Christian Faith, 50 days following the Resurrection, Christ told His followers to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the gift I told you about, the gift my Father Promised…for in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit…You will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:4-5, 8)
The disciples were waiting upon the Lord to empower them for their mission in preaching and teaching the new life in Christ. In order for them to be effective witnesses they first needed to fully experience the saving power of the Gospel they were to proclaim to the world.
In the Orthodox Faith, the Feast of Pentecost, is one of the seven Great Feast Days of the Lord, which we observe during the Ecclesiastical Year. It primarily celebrates the Lord’s bestowing of the Holy Spirit upon His Church. It is the Feast of the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; One God in Three Persons, existing eternally and working together for the salvation of the world. Finally this Feast and the Monday after, celebrates the gift of the Spirit to the world, the historical revelation of the Holy Spirit.
For as the hymn sings, “Blessed are you, Christ our God, who have shown the fisherman to be all-wise, sending upon them the Holy Spirit and through them drawing into the net of the Gospel all people. Loving Lord, Glory to You” (Sunday of Pentecost).
