Pentecost

This Sunday is Pentecost, one of the great feast days of the Church. Fifty days after Easter, Pentecost celebrates the moment the Holy Spirit descended upon the first followers of Jesus. The Holy Spirit came like the rush of a violent wind and appeared like tongues of fire resting on each of them. Suddenly, their fear gave way to courage. They spoke in new languages, preached with boldness, and the Church was born.

It was noisy. It was wild. It was holy. And at St. John’s, we try to embody a bit of that joyful chaos.

As we read from Acts, you’ll hear the story told in multiple languages, a beautiful reminder that from the very beginning, the Good News was meant for people of every tongue.

One of our recent Pentecost traditions at the Cathedral is welcoming a fire breather. As we process out of the service, our fire breather will breathe flames high into the sanctuary, reminding us of the holy fire that once fell on the heads of Christ’s followers, and still burns in hearts today.

Even more exciting: this Sunday, we will baptize, confirm, receive, and reaffirm a wonderful group of people, from infants to adults. And we are especially honored to welcome Bishop Stokes, who will be with us to share in this joyful day.

So come ready to celebrate and to be inspired. And don’t forget to wear red, as we remember that we are the descendants of those first followers of Christ, still carrying that flame of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

In Christ,

Mark+