WHAT IS IT?
A celebration of when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. “Pentecost” stems from a Greek term meaning “fiftieth day”.

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE IT?
We give thanks to God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to share in and continue the work of Jesus in the world. Without the Holy Spirit, we would never have the grace our strength to pursue holiness in our life and in the world.

THE DOVE AND TONGUES OF FIRE
The dove and the tongues of fire are two common symbols of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was baptised, the Holy Spirit descended upon him “like a dove” (Mt 3:16; Mk 1:10; Lk 3:22; Jn 1:32). At the Upper Room, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disicples like “tongues of fire” (Ac 2:3).

WHAT DO WE DO?
Baptisms and Confirmations are sacramental acts in which the Holy Spirit is invoked upon the candidate – Pentecost is thus an appropriate time for baptisms, and confirmations in particular.

Red is used to signify the fire of the Holy Spirit and the blood of the martyrs in the Early Church

Confirmations are often conducted

THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH
The Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 is records the “birth” of the Church, in the sense that it marks the start of the ministry of the Church. It marks the reversal of the confusion of languages at Babel in Gen 11, because while different languages remain, we are united now to proclaim God’s praise to the ends of the earth.

REFERENCES

Truscott, Jeffrey A. Worship: A Practical Guide. Singapore: Armour Publishing, 2011.
United Methodist Church. The United Methodist Book of Worship. Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1992.