From the pulpit: So what is the Holy Spirit?

Today is Pentecost Sunday, an important feast day in the Christian calander when the Holy Spirit gave the 12 apostles the courage to proclaim the word of God. But what really is the Holy Spirit, and how is it relevant to modern living?

Belfast Baptist pastor David McMillan recalls the feast from the time of the Apostles

IT was Pentecost and it was party time. Seven days of food, wine and celebration.

People were having such a good time that they paid no attention to the 12 guys who were acting a bit weird early one morning.

'Too much wine, that's their trouble'," is how some people explained the odd behaviour of the working lads who appeared to be out of their heads on something.

The city of Jerusalem was packed with visitors for one of the biggest harvest celebrations.

Pentecost had been a traditional Jewish festival long before Christianity came on the scene.

The celebration wasn't just about another year's supply of food. It was also about being a special people with a special culture and a special place in history.

It was one of those great community events and people made an effort to be there - just like they did at celebrations like Christmas and Easter.

So what was happening at Pentecost in the first century AD? Why is it now part of the Christian calendar when it was originally a Jewish harvest festival?

The group of men whose behaviour seemed a bit strange had been followers of Jesus of Nazareth for the past three years.

They had travelled with him, learned from him, but had just been gutted by his execution in Jerusalem.

Then, incredibly, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to up to 500 people in the next month.

Good, loyal Jews had hoped that this invincible Jesus would lead the nation out of its humiliation and free it from captivity under the Roman forces of occupation.

As sincere religious people, they were doing what sincere religious people tend to do - praying.

While they were praying to God, the Holy Spirit energised them with spectacular ability and boldness.

God's power made it possible for them to speak in the different languages which were represented in Jerusalem during festival time. They also found that they couldn't hold back from telling people what they knew and believed about Jesus.

They could never have expected that, by the time the day was over, their little group of about 120 fairly timid followers would have grown to more than 3,000.

Pentecost is the time when we recall the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on ordinary people.

It is the time when we celebrate harvest. Not a harvest of food, but a harvest of people who believe that the Jesus they crucified had been raised from the dead.

Harvest time celebrates a gathering of crops. Pentecost celebrates the start of a meeting of people who believe that Jesus, who rose from the dead, is the son of God and the ruler over all things.

This gathering of people believe that Jesus is the one to follow, and that He is able and willing to grant complete forgiveness to those who abandon all other ways of life to follow him.

Pentecost may seem to be an outdated religious idea. But the community of people who are committed to following Jesus is still growing around the world 2,000 years later.

There is a vast, unstoppable harvest going on because the Holy Spirit is still at work.

Here is St Peter's comment on that first day of Pentecost . They are still as relevant today as they were then: ""Repent and be baptised every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

"And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

"The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off."

Father Kevin Doran is curate at Foxrock Parish Church in Dublin. He believes that Pentecost Sunday is about God's love

I've asked some of my Catholic friends to tell me about the Holy Spirit, but they don't seem to be too sure about it.

I suppose, if the truth were told, when we hear the word Pentecost, most of us think of a dove.

We might remember something about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, from when we made our Confirmation.

But who or what is the Holy Spirit? I think faith is a bit like learning to drive, the theory is important, but you usually begin with the practical experience.

The first followers of Jesus didn't learn about the Holy Spirit out of a book.

They experienced the power of the Spirit in their lives.

You can probably imagine the state of confusion after Jesus had left them to return to his Father.

Yes, they had seen him alive. Yes, he had promised them that everything would be all right. But now here they were, apparently left to themselves, unsure of what they should be doing.

They were afraid for their lives - scared that they would be crucified just like Jesus.

So they locked themselves in and began to pray - and that was when things started to happen.

They had a powerful experience of God's presence among them. The fear left them and they felt encouraged. They no longer felt alone.

I think it must be similar to what happens when you realise that someone really loves you. Words are not enough.

Love is a kind of power. It makes all sorts of things possible.

I think anyone who has ever really loved understands that.

Before Jesus began his own mission, he was baptised by John the Baptist in the River Jordan.

The gospel tells us that, while he was in the water, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit came down upon him. A voice said: "You are my beloved son."

The spirit is the love of God, the Father for his son, Jesus.

That love is the power we see in the life of Jesus, a power to speak with truth and compassion; a power to heal and forgive.

At Pentecost, we see the same power at work among the disciples of Jesus. We know that they found the courage to go out and proclaim the good news that Jesus is alive.

Things fell into place. They began to understand what the life of Jesus was about, and to see why they fitted into God's plan. As the song says, love changes everything".

The Holy Spirit certainly changed the lives of those Christians in the first century, and changed the face of society as well.

Pagans and Jews, who had no time for each other before that, became followers of Jesus and began to live in peace.

The wealthy sold property to provide for the needs of the poor.

Every age has its challenges. Sometimes when we look at the struggles facing our own society at the end of the twentieth century, we may be inclined to lose heart.

But God also gives his spirit in the way many ordinary people use their gifts for others and their communities.

A big challenge in the years ahead will be the building of a lasting peace in our country.

Peace is more than just the absence of war. Peace begins in the hearts of men and women, and is one of what St Paul calls the fruits of the Spirit.

If we know in our hearts that we are loved by God, I think it gives us a place to stand.

It makes us feel more secure. That kind of security allows us to take risks, and to reach out to others.

It will be a long journey, but the Spirit will lead us, if we ask, and then open our hearts.

Copyright 1998 MGN LTD
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