Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday dear Church of God, Happy Birthday to You!
You might be wondering why I just played the Happy Birthday song and invited you to sing along. Whose birthday you ask, isn’t today Pentecost Sunday? Yes, it is Pentecost Sunday. Before we go any further, we need to stop and critically look and listen to the first line from today’s reading from Acts of the Apostles. “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.”
Isn’t that interesting that they, the disciples, were all together on the day of Pentecost. If our feast of Pentecost is the coming of the Holy Spirit, how come Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, says they were together for a church feast, a special day, that hasn’t yet happened. Time for a little history lesson. Please bear with me.
The Greek word pente, means five; Pentagon, five sided military building. Pentathlon, an athletic event with five different events. The Greek word for fifty is pentecost. We also hear from Acts that “Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.” They were in the city of Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot.
Shavuot, the Jewish Pentecost, is a holiday that commemorates the single most important event in Israel’s history: the giving of the Torah (the first five books in the Hebrew Bible) to Moses at Mount Sinai.
Although it is not as well-known among non-Jews as Passover, it is one of the three major festivals often called “pilgrim” festivals because in Bible times, all Jewish males were required to observe them at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. (Note: that is why there were so many men who spoke various languages in Jerusalem that Pentecost morning)
We Christians are more familiar with the Greek name for Shavuot, Pentecost — the holiday that Jesus’ followers were observing in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit was given to them. Since Pentecost is the Greek word for 50, and as Shavuot after the first day of Passover, it was referred to as Pentecost in the Christian Bible.
The holiday is also known as the “Feast of Weeks,” since it is celebrated seven weeks (or 50 days) after Passover.
The two holidays, Passover and Shavuot, are linked by more than just their proximity. The Exodus from Egypt, which Passover celebrates, marked the beginning of physical freedom for the Jewish people. But Shavuot is a reminder for the Jews that physical liberation was incomplete without the spiritual redemption represented by receiving God’s Law.
Shavuot is also called Atzeret, meaning “the completion,” because together with Passover it forms the completion of a unit. Jews gained their freedom from Egypt on Passover in order to receive the Torah on Shavuot. The rabbi I studied with said Shavuot is like the birthday of the Jewish faith, and modern day Jews traditionally eat dairy foods like ice cream or cheesecake on Shavuot.
So now we know why everyone is celebrating Pentecost before the Holy Spirit arrives on the scene. But why did I ask us to sing Happy Birthday? Today we celebrate Pentecost when the Spirit was given to the disciples. It is the birthday of the Church, the day when the timid and uncertain apostles were transformed into bold preachers of Jesus and his resurrection. The same Spirit is still as active in the Church today, transforming it - and us - into better messengers of Jesus’ story.
Remember that the first words in the Book of Genesis says that God breathes on human beings to bring them life. In our Gospel from John we hear how Jesus breathes his Spirit into his disciples to give them new life.
He bestows on the Spirit of peace, truth and joy. They will have power over sin, which otherwise deadens the human heart. They can also turn to this Spirit for help whenever fear threatens to overwhelm their life. They are baptized in the Holy Spirit, they are reborn and are new creations, freed from sin, empowered with courage and fortitude to carry Jesus’ message to the ends of the earth and to do so without fear.
Because of our own baptism, the regenerative power of the Spirit makes it possible for us to become children of God. With this new birth, we become a new creation, formed by the same Spirit of God which moved over the world in the opening lines of Genesis, when: “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”
Are we willing to ask the Holy Spirit to breathe on our chaos and bring us order and peace?
On this Pentecost Birthday of the Church, are we willing to spread throughout the world, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the message and mission of Jesus?
Are we willing to ask for the grace to grow in love for the Church, which is the body of Christ himself, and of which we are a living part?
It is through the Church that we receive the Word, the Eucharist, forgiveness of sins and so much more. Let us pray for the Church to be open to the Spirit, as it carries out Jesus’ command to be his witness in the world of today.
Jesus came to the disciples at the time of their great fear. He came to them although the doors were locked. He comes to us too, wherever we are locked in by fear, and he gives us his peace.
Please think now of those areas in your life where you are afraid. Imagine Jesus coming and standing before you and saying “Peace be with you”. Please stay there for a little while, looking at Jesus, hearing his words of peace, feeling calm return to your heart.
On this Pentecost Birthday, let us give thanks for the Holy Spirit and the guidance she gives through the words of the Bible.
Our Jewish relatives are celebrating the giving of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, along with the ten commandments. We are celebrating along with them the giving of God's laws, liberation from sin and death and the gift of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
Yes, today is truly a day for celebration, for cake and ice cream and shouts of joy. Happy Pentecost to you.
Blessings on your Day.
Notes: Preached (Delivered) May 24, 2026 at Zion Lutheran Church, Trade Lake, Wisconsin
Pentecost Sunday , Year A
Readings: Acts 2:1-21 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 John 7:37-39
