Pentecost/Whitsun

[The Lord is my banner]

What are you all going to be doing in church this Sunday, to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and the "birthday" of the church?

God bless, Susana

[benedictine]

I'm an Acolyte, and we're wearing red ribbons instead of the one's we usually wear. --Pax Deo.

[PaladinValer]

My Church held a First Communion rite for the kids who just took a beginner's Eucharist class. :)

[The Lord is my banner]

Thanks for your replies so far.

I thought my church was unusual in that we don't make much of Pentecost, but in nview of your experiences, maybe not.

We did have a good sermon about the work of the Holy Spirit, then and now, but really it could have been any Sunday.

I also went to a friend's church in the evening, and there was a good celebration and more teaching on a similar line.
Also they offered prayer at the altar for those who wanted to receive from the Lord.

But since they are a more charismatic Anglican church than ours, that is in fact not out of the ordinary for them, and again, it could have been any Sunday.

God bless, Susana

[Yahweh Nissi]

Same here - sermons on the theme, but nothing else especially.

[The Lord is my banner]

Am I the only one who thinks it odd that we make so little of this special day?
I wonder if all denoms are the same?

[rogsr]

Hello,
We reconfirmed our baptismal vows for pentecost at my church. I was happy with that though; last year at this time I was still a Catholic and I don't recall doing anything special at all. ;)

[chalice_thunder]

Hey Brothers and Sisters
Just found this thread - and although Pentecost is now past, I wanted to share what happened in my neck of the woods.

For my parish, Pentecost has always been THE festival of the year, since the 70s at least.

Everyone wears "flame colors" so the congregation was full of red, orange, yellow, pink. Some people also wear costumes of their countries of origin - a few kilts and one native american outfit, and a couple of gorgeous sarongs from India...very colorful.

The liturgy begins (as it has every year) with our bagpipers-in-residence, The Keith Highlanders marching into the nave splitting into 20 lines, and doing 3 concentric circles around the altar. Kind of like the wind of the Spirit blowing into church.

During the Acts lesson I had the choir hum on one pitch, then added several pitches, while I made rumbly/windy sounds on the organ...it was pretty electrifying.

The rector preached a kick-butt sermon - as is always the case. THen we baptized 5 babes. When that was done, the adults who were baptized at the Easter Vigil went around the congregation splashing holy water on everyone, while we all sang a very rousing rendition of "Wade in the Water."

The music for the day was almost all jazz...and people really got into it.

When the service was complete, everyone went out on the lawn (where the sun mercifully came out! unusual for seattle :cool: ) enjoyed ice cream treats and watched highland dancers perform as the pipers and drummers played.

Just another day at church...ho hum. :D

[Polycarp1]

That is soooooo cool, Chalice Thunder!

My parish doesn't make a production out of Pentecost, but does do the "wear something red" bit, and (being that we have a wide range of people with foreign language skills in the parish), portions of the Acts reading are customarily given in multiple other languages as well as English, giving a "feel" for what the Day of Pentecost must have been like. (The lady who is by birth an Ewe from Nigeria does a wonderful reading in Ewe; the retired Latin teacher does the Vulgate....)

[chalice_thunder]

That is soooooo cool, Chalice Thunder!

My parish doesn't make a production out of Pentecost, but does do the "wear something red" bit, and (being that we have a wide range of people with foreign language skills in the parish), portions of the Acts reading are customarily given in multiple other languages as well as English, giving a "feel" for what the Day of Pentecost must have been like. (The lady who is by birth an Ewe from Nigeria does a wonderful reading in Ewe; the retired Latin teacher does the Vulgate....)

Hey Poly,
We've done the multi-lingual thing as well. It can be SO electrifying to hear the word of God happen that way!

If you want to see a couple of pics of the outdoor celebration, check our website:
http://www.stthomasmedina.org/ (http://www.stthomasmedina.org)

Hopefully pics of the liturgy will be up soon as well...plenty of color and hooplah!

Bless

[pmcleanj]

My parish doesn't make a production out of Pentecost, but does do the "wear something red" bit

Our parish did the "wear something red" bit this year with a vengeance! And most of the red shirts being worn also had flames on them -- or at least a flaming "C". And the cars all drove to church waving red flags with flaming C's on them too.

It was funny, in a bitter-sweet kind of way. The "liturgy" of secular passion merging with the liturgy of the Church -- and for a moment submerging it :sigh: .

[The Lord is my banner]

Thank you for all your replies.
I'm glad many of you have really had a great celebration.
Chalice_thunder, I took a peek at your church website, and it looks a blessed place to be a part of.
It's amazing the diversity of attitudes in our churches isn't it?

Blessings all, Susana

[chalice_thunder]

Thank you for all your replies.
I'm glad many of you have really had a great celebration.
Chalice_thunder, I took a peek at your church website, and it looks a blessed place to be a part of.
It's amazing the diversity of attitudes in our churches isn't it?

Blessings all, Susana

Glad you liked the site, Susana.
Yes - our diversity in the Anglican Communion is, I believe, one of the great blessings God has bestowed in such abundance. Of course, it sometimes makes things a little heated - but steadfast prayer and a willingness to listen to God, listen to each other, and listen to our own hearts will teach us the way.