May 19 was Pentecost Sunday by Kevin E. Dayhoff May 22, 2013 http://tinyurl.com/q4sk774

May 19 was Pentecost Sunday by Kevin E. Dayhoff May 22, 2013 http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5790

http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41

http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-19-was-pentecost-sunday-by-kevin-e.html

Labels: Dayhoff writing essays religion, Religion, Religion Grace Lutheran Church, Religion Pentecost Sunday, Religion Shrinking Church

Last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday; the 50 day after Easter and the birthday of the church. Along with Easter and Christmas, Pentecost is one of the three most important holidays in the church. It’s time to renew the spirit of Pentecost in our daily lives. Here’s why.

Pentecost has many meanings, which are, in essence, really only different parts of the same elephant. The English word ‘Pentecost’ is actually a transliteration of the Greek word ‘pentekostos,’ which means ‘fifty.’

It is one of the oldest holidays in the church. Its roots may be traced to the Jewish Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, (as is referred to in Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:10,) which is celebrated 50 days after God passed down the Torah, which included the Ten Commandments to the assembled nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. This year Shavuot took place May 14 – May 16, 2013.

There are those who believe that the Jewish faith borrowed the holiday from ancient pagan rituals which celebrated the death of winter and a spirit of (spring) renewal.

In the Bible, Pentecost is mentioned in St. Paul's letter to a troubled church, the First Letter to the Corinthians 16:8. “But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost…”

On my recent trip to Greece, I had the honor of standing in the marketplace at the very spot where it is believed Paul spoke to the turbulent crowds in Corinth. Thousands of years later, we must redouble our efforts to carry the example of Paul forward to address our troubled times.

Pentecost is also mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles in Chapter 20, verse 16: “For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.”

Pentecost Sunday marks the end of the Easter season on the Christian calendar. Pentecost Monday – the first Monday after the celebration of Pentecost is celebrated as a holiday in many countries, most notably, in England.

The story of the first Pentecost is told by Acts 2; when people had gathered in Jerusalem for the Jewish festival, the Feast of Weeks.

It was during Pentecost Sunday, 10 days after the ascension of Christ, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Twelve Disciples and followers of Jesus. Today, Pentecost is the important celebration of that fateful day when the Apostles were bestowed the gifts to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to all peoples and nations.

According to Acts 2: 2-4: “… please click here to read more: http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5790

See also:

May 23, 2013

A Renewed Purpose and Meaning for Pentecost 

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Many believe that the current decline in church attendance directly contributes to the erosion of our quality of life, the deterioration of our sense of community and lack of confidence in the future.

May 22, 2013

Pentecost Sunday 

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday; the 50 day after Easter and the birthday of the church. Along with Easter and Christmas, Pentecost is one of the three most important holidays in the church. It’s time to renew the spirit of Pentecost in our daily lives. Here’s why.

May 15, 2013

The Spiritual Practice of Shredding Stuff 

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Last month my wife and I left our house in the wee-hours of the morning and joined other households in Carroll County for the shared experience of putting box after box of old documents in a large ravenous shredder-truck which devoured the paper voraciously

+++++++++++++++

Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:

Patuxent Publishing Co., The Carroll Eagle: www.explorecarroll.com: http://www.explorecarroll.com/search/?s=Dayhoff&action=GO
The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41

Westminster Patch: http://westminster.patch.com/search?keywords=Dayhoff

Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoffTwitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff
Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net

Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
+++++++++++++++

 Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/) http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff

Scribd Kevin Dayhoff: http://www.scribd.com/kdayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/kevindayhoff Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems: http://kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/ Gizmo's: http://www.gizmosart.com/dayhoff.html

Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/ “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10