Sunday’s Blessing – 05/24/2026 – Pentecost Sunday: The Holy Spirit Coming with Power and the Birthday of the Church
I love celebrating birthdays. I’m not sure when that started, but I remember as a child my birthday was the one day where it was all about me. Being the youngest of five, very few days (at least from my perspective) were about me. My siblings probably have a different opinion. My mom would always prepare the same cake every year. It was a four-tier yellow cake with chocolate icing. The “birthday boy” would always get the top tier which was about the size of a cupcake.
There was usually a party with the neighborhood kids in attendance. Since my birthday is in August, the festivities were usually held outside in the front yard. I try to keep track of birthdays of those around me: work, church, friends, etc. Now that social media can’t let you forget, it’s a little easier.
But how often have we celebrated the birthday of the Church? We mark the birth of Christ with Advent (Christmas), the death of Christ with Easter, and much is said about the return of Christ at the second coming. But I can’t recall any mention of the birthday of the Church. Pentecost was mostly cubby-holed into a doctrinal discussion about tongues. Since most evangelicals avoid the topic Pentecost was also pushed aside as irrelevant. This is very sad. This event is one that Jesus spent a lot of time publicizing and anticipating right up to the moment He ascended to heaven. The sending of the Holy Spirit is a critical part of God’s plan to redeem mankind. Yet we sweep it under the rug and diminish the role the Holy Spirit plays in the life of the Believer.
Regardless of your religious tradition, if you claim to be a follower of Jesus, then you need to understand all that has been provided to you in the Holy Spirit. Maybe I will share more specific in the coming weeks as we enter into what is referred to as “Ordinary Time” by the liturgical church. There is nothing “ordinary” about any day we get to fellowship with our Creator, emulate our Savior, and live our life with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Today’s Blessing:
Receive the promise given to Mary for yourself, for the Christian has the same promise:And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. Luke 1:35 (ESV)Instead of a “baby” being born it will be the rebirth of your spirit by the Holy Spirit, making you a Son/Daughter of God.Instead of “overshadowing” you, the Holy Spirit will dwell IN you.Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (ESV)“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (ESV)
