Holy Spirit Day!

PEACE Lutheran Church will celebrate Pentecost on May 15 with uplifting symbols in our sanctuary evoking fire and wind -- symbols of the Holy Spirit!

PEACE Lutheran Church will celebrate Pentecost on June 4 with uplifting symbols in our sanctuary evoking fire and wind — symbols of the Holy Spirit!

Sunday, June 4, is Pentecost – the day when Christians believe God sent his Spirit to Jesus’ followers. It was a life-changing moment that gave them the power to overcome their fear and embark on their mission to change the world with their message of love and redemption.

Pentecost is among the three holiest days in the church year, along with Christmas and Easter, though it is the least well-known in the secular world. At PEACE, we celebrate Pentecost as a day of promises fulfilled. God pours out his promised Spirit on us! We become God’s children and “joint heirs with Christ” in God’s kingdom.

This is possible through the action of Jesus in our world, showing us the face of God – a kind and loving Father who reaches out to bring his wayward children back into his loving embrace!

Inspiration from the Holy Spirit will be seen in PEACE’s sanctuary, evoking the symbolic themes of fire, wind and water. We will ask our Father to send his Spirit to us also, “and renew the face of the earth,” as written in Psalm 104. We will ask God to help us bring his kingdom to all who yearn for light, healing, justice and grace.

We hope you will feel inspired just by being here!

Pentecost: Roots in Jewish festival

The Jewish celebration of Shavuot, in Hebrew, is the root of the Christian celebration of Pentecost. Shavuot was an important festival in Jesus’ time, when Jews marked the spring grain harvest with an offering in the Temple 50 days after Passover. Pentecost comes from the Greek word for “fiftieth.”

Jesus’ followers were in Jerusalem for Shavuot when the Holy Spirit came in the form of wind and flame. Suddenly, they could preach in the many languages of the city’s pilgrims, according to the Bible — you can find the story in Acts 2.

Some consider Pentecost the birthday of the Christian church. At PEACE, we view the Holy Spirit as “the power of God among us that heals, forgives, inspires and unites,” as written in “Evangelical Lutheran Worship,” the worship book of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (which we use).

All are welcome!

That first Pentecost, the Holy Spirit stirred people of many languages and backgrounds to become united in their belief in and service to the One True God. At PEACE, we welcome all those who yearn to be stirred by something greater than themselves.

We are a community of believers trying to walk a path of faith today, and we would like to support you on your path!

Want more?

Click here to learn how to get involved at PEACE.