Pentecost is the Christian festival that comes after Christmas and Easter. It's celebrated on the Sunday 50 days after Easter and is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit.".

Peter writes:
Imagine the fragile psychological state of the disciples. Jesus has died on
the cross, they have all hidden away in a room together, frightened - their
leader gone! The Jewish leaders are looking for them as Jesus' body is
missing and the leaders think that the disciples have taken it and hidden
it. What are they to do - they could always go back to their 'day jobs' and
try to blend in.

They have a visit from Mary Magdalene who tells them that she has seen
Jesus, he is alive. This woman is clearly delusional. Two other followers
have come into their company with great haste. They were walking to Emmaus
when a man they didn't know caught up with them and spent the whole journey
explaining the Scripture to them. One of the pair, Cleopas, said that his
knowledge and understanding was just jaw droppingly good. 'We invited him in
to spend the night because it would not be safe for a stranger to travel in
the dark in these parts. During dinner he broke bread just as Jesus had done
on the night before he died...suddenly we realised it was Jesus so we came
here to let the others know.'

He was back among them and they have had a renewed confidence.

For the next forty days Jesus continued teaching, clearly preparing the
disciples for something special. Then he took them to the outskirts of
Bethany. He blessed them and was taken up into heaven.

Gone!! Once again they are on their own and afraid, this time there seems to
be a certain finality about Jesus leaving.

They return to their hiding place to again consider their options.

Ten days later it is the feast of the first fruit or Pentecost, '...they
were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a
violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were
sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came
to rest on each one of them. All of them were filled with the Holy
Spirit...'. (Acts 2:1-4)

Here we are reminded of the words of John the Baptist just prior to Jesus'
baptism; 'I baptise you with water... He will baptise you with the Holy
Spirit and with fire.' (Matthew 3:11)

This was the springboard for the disciples to go forward and preach the
gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, gathering souls to God.
Carrying out Jesus instruction to them to go and make disciples. The Holy
Spirit had filled them to such a degree that they could be understood in all
the languages spoken by Jews 'worldwide'. 'Now there were staying in
Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard
this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard
them speaking in his own language.' (Acts 2:5-6)

So these confused afraid men who had cowered in hiding during Jesus' passion
and death had been completely filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and
were now amongst the bravest of the brave, not afraid of any repercussions
from their enemies. Their one concern was to spread the good news of Jesus.
For many of them this bravery was to lead to a painful death, for Jesus.

It can be the same for us, you and me. If we pray to our Heavenly Father,
daily, for the gift of the Holy Spirit to take over our lives we can
continue the task given by Jesus to those first disciples and become real
followers of our Saviour spreading the word of Jesus and his work. Difficult
but definitely possible, but not by our own means.

Remember - WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!!

5/5/2008 mh