Pentecost seems to be one Christian holiday Hallmark just doesn’t know what to do with. Christmas has Santa and Easter has the Easter bunny – but what about poor Pentecost. I read about one preacher who went out shopping on the Friday before Pentecost and noticed there was no indication whatsoever that there were only two shopping days left until Pentecost. He said that the closest any of the stores came was the nursery department at Home Depot where he noticed some PENTAS on sale – which apparently are some kind of evergreen shrub. Once he saw they had Pentas on sale, he went up to a salesperson and asked, “So, how much does a PENTA COST?” Needless to say, the salesperson didn’t get it.
Pentecost may not get a lot of attention from the world, but it’s important to us. And it’s important we retell the story of how the Holy Spirit first came upon the first disciples and transformed them into the powerful apostles that would go out fearlessly into the world and change everything.
I look forward to celebrating the gift of the Spirit once again. And, if you remember, be sure to wear RED, the color of fire. See you there!