Endowing the Apostolic Church
with a Full Measure of the Spirit
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| Pentecost fresco at the Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor Photo 97915360 | Pentecost © Viscorp | Dreamstime.com individual license |
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1‒4 KJV).
Fifty days after Easter Sunday, many Christian traditions celebrate the feast of Pentecost, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the the Twelve, who were gathered perhaps in the upper room where, in the previous chapter of Acts, they had united in prayer with Mary, the mother of Jesus, the half brothers of Jesus, and the women who had followed Jesus in his mortal ministry to pray for a replacement for Judas Iscariot. While some have maintained that the Holy Ghost had for some reason not operated during Jesus' ministry, presumably the witness of the Father and the Son had borne convictions of truth to the first believers, and on that first Easter evening, Jesus had breathed on ten of the apostles (perhaps reminiscent of the Lord putting the "breath of life" into Adam to bring him to life (cf. Gen 2:7) and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (John 20:22). However, the apostles had received the promise from the Risen Lord that they would shortly "receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8), and on Pentecost this special, unique endowment of the spirit was visibly manifest as "tongues of fire."
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| Pentecost: The Holy Spirit Descending as Tongues of Fire Photo 277216403 | © Omer Sahin | Dreamstime.com individual license |
Pentecost, which in Greek literally means "fiftieth," was the translation used to represent the Jewish pilgrimage festival of Weeks (Heb., šāḇù`ōt) that was celebrated fifty days after Passover. Because Jews from over much of the known world had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival, the first gift of the spirit that the empowered apostles received was the ability to proclaim the gospel message in the languages that many of these visiting pilgrims spoke as their first languages at home. This is one of the particular ways that the gift of tongues is manifested (xenoglossia, or "speaking in foreign tongues," as opposed to glossolalia, or speaking in ecstatic, unknown tongues).
Accordingly, for those who mark Pentecost, it is an opportunity to remember not only the miracle of that first Pentecost but also to celebrate the gifts of the spirit today. One of those places where is is marked with particular devotion is at the Abbey Church of the Dormition on Mount Zion south of the Old City of Jerusalem. This nineteenth century German church is built over much of the footprint of an earlier, larger Byzantine Church called Holy Sion, that covered not only the place where many believe the early church first gathered and where the original Pentecost experience took place but also the nearby site where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper, now occupied by a Crusader-era sanctuary called the Cenacle (from the Latin cenaculum, meaning "the dinner place).
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| Large apse mosaic at the Abbey of the Dormition, a Benedictine community abbey in Mount Zion, just outside the walls of the Old City near the Zion Gate. Photo 219712216 | Pentecost © Mltz | Dreamstime.com individual license |
Another site that claims to be the place of both the Last Supper and Pentecost, is the Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Mark, located in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City.
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| Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Mark in Jerusalem |
In many Christian churches with strong liturgical practices, the traditional color for Pentecost is red: priests, pastors, or other celebrants where red vestments, and altars are often covered with red cloths, all the recall the fire of the first Pentecost.
In some churches in Rome, at the climax of the Pentecost service, red rose petals are dropped from the ceiling to symbolize the fire of the spirit falling upon the congregation. The most famous occurs in the Pantheon, an ancient Roman temple later converted into a Christian church.
Music for Pentecost has also helped celebrate the outpouring of the Spirit upon Christians as the body of Christ. One of these is the Medieval hymn Veni Creator Spirtus, which translates as "Come, Creator Spirit."
Come O Holy Spirit | Hymn | Pentecost Sequence Trilogy Part 2 | Beethoven/Alstott
Martin Luther wrote a hymn, Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott, which Johann Sebastian Bach set to music.
Charles Wesley wrote a much-loved Methodist hymn, "Spirit of Faith, Come Down."
In the Latter-day Saint tradition, an obvious choice for Pentecost is "The Spirit of God" (Hymn no. 2)
The Spirit of God | The Tabernacle Choir | William W. Phelps, arr. Mack Wilberg
My personal favorite is "Thy Spirit, Lord, Has Stirred Our Souls" (Hymn no. 157), especially because of the first lines of the second verse: "Did not our hearts within us burn? We know the Spirit's fire is here."
I also like to read about the gifts of the spirit, both in 1 Cor 12:1-11 and also in D&C 46:10-16:
And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church. For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.
To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful. And again, to some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the differences of administration, as it will be pleasing unto the same Lord, according as the Lord will, suiting his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men. And again, it is given by the Holy Ghost to some to know the diversities of operations, whether they be of God, that the manifestations of the Spirit may be given to every man to profit withal.
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| Glen S. Hopkinson, "Like a Fire Is Burning" |
Latter-day Saints may also be interested in reading about the spiritual events that accompanied the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1836, which is often described as "The Kirtland Pentecost." Here are some articles you might find interesting:
- Steven Harper, "'A Pentecost and Endowment Indeed': Six Eyewitness Accounts of the Kirtland Temple Experience." https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-chapters/a-pentecost-and-endowment-indeed-six-eyewitness-accounts-of-the-kirtland-temple-experience/
- Steven Harper, "Pentecost Continued: A Contemporaneous Account of the Kirtland Temple Dedication" https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/pentecost-continued-a-contemporaneous-account-of-the-kirtland-temple-dedication/
- Scripture Central: "Why Is the 'Pentecostal' Season in Kirtland Believable?" https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/knowhy/why-is-the-pentecostal-season-in-kirtland-believable
Regardless of which branch of the Christian family you are in, Pentecost is a lovely time to celebrate the gifts of the Spirit that God wants to pour out on all his children.
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The Sun’s Rays Stream Through Stained Glass Windows Of The Cathedral, Blessing The Church With A Heavenly Light. They Remind Us Of God s Love And Grace. Cinematic Concept. AI generated
Photo 317681328 | Pentecost © Andrei Dzemidzenka | Dreamstime.com individual license
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