Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Day, Ascension Day and tomorrow, Pentecost Day, are celebrated annually by all Christians. They are, though, unrepeatable in the sense that Pentecost was the final act of Jesus's saving ministry before he returns in glory. He was born into our humanity, lived our life, died for our sins, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and then sent his Spirit to constitute his people as his body to work out here on earth what he had won for them on the cross.
There is no need for us to wait, as the 120 had to wait in Jerusalem, for the Spirit to come. He did come, on the day of Pentecost (read Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2) and he has never left the church. Today, there are many folk looking for the marks of the Spirit's presence in local churches and when they encounter biblical teaching, loving fellowship, living worship and outgoing evangelism, they may be sure he is indeed there. As the trout on Loughs Corrib and Mask gather where the mayfly are tumbling on to the water, so Christians and serious enquirers move to where satisfying spiritual food is found, for there is increasing spiritual hunger in Ireland.
For the apostles, regrouping, still dazed and struggling to understand the significance of the risen Lord Jesus among them after his crucifixion, Pentecost brought them the equipment they needed for their special role. Christ designated them as his primary and authoritative witnesses and he had, in John's Gospel chapters 14-16, promised them the Spirit would come to remind them of the teaching he had given and that it would be the Spirit's work to empower them to boldly proclaim the Good News.
It is technically incorrect to call Pentecost the birthday of the church, for the church - the ecclesia - of God goes back at least 4,000 years to Abraham. What happened at Pentecost was that those gathered in Jerusalem when the Spirit was poured out became the Spirit-filled body of Christ.
We live, therefore, in the age of the Spirit and always and everywhere we can benefit from his ministry. He equipped the apostles as the primary witnesses to Jesus, he also equips us to be secondary witnesses. The apostles were uniquely imbued with the inspiration of the Spirit, which is why we have the New Testament scriptures, but for all of God's people the fullness of the Spirit is available.
It was a puzzle, surely, for the disciples to know how the presence of the Spirit could be better for them than the physical presence of Jesus himself (see John 16:7). Yet they and we benefit enormously for the Holy Spirit universalises the presence of the Lord Jesus. On earth, he was limited to one place at one time, but not so now; for through his Spirit Jesus is with us everywhere and always. Secondly, the Holy Spirit internalises the presence of Jesus. The promise was: "The Spirit lives with you and he will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:17-18)
Jesus, on earth, was with the apostles and could teach them but he could not enter their personalities and revolutionise them from within. Now, through his Spirit, he lives in our hearts by faith and there he carries on his transforming work.
To open ourselves afresh to the renewing work of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the words of this prayer may be helpful:
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me; break me, melt me, mould me, fill me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God, move among us all; make us one in heart and mind, make us one in love: humble, caring, selfless, sharing.
Spirit of the living God, fill our lives with love.
G.F.