Enjoying the Spirit of Pentecost

 

The feast of Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after the Easter Day. The name comes from the Greek word pentekoste which means fiftieth. However, Pentecost is a Jewish feast that has been celebrated since the Old Testament times, being called the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks in Jewish tradition. It is mentioned in five places in the Pentateuch (Exodus 23, Exodus 24, Leviticus 16, Numbers 28, and Deuteronomy 16). In the Christian calendar, it is the day that is celebrated to mark the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. The Book of Acts of the Apostles in chapter two vividly narrated this event that took place in Jerusalem. Today we celebrate it as the birthday of the church because on this day after Peter’s testimony over three thousand people repented and were baptized. Every year, Christians around the globe gather in their churches to celebrate this day in unique ways.

The chaplaincy of St Philip & St James in Palma de Mallorca, Spain had to celebrate this day in a unique way. Thanks to the Mother’s Union group for a thoughtful idea of celebrating our diversity on this day. One of the greatest miracles of Pentecost was the hearing of disciples’ message from people of different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds in their own mother tongues. This was indeed a reversal of the Tower of Babel incident. The message of Pentecost cut across all cultural and ethnic backgrounds though it was coming from a group of one ethnic background. It was from this experience that the gospel of Jesus Christ became multi-cultural. Through the initiation of the Mother’s Union, the Chaplaincy of St Philip and St James had to celebrate the diversity that characterizes our membership. Flags of our different nationalities were printed and affixed on the church entrance.

The liturgy was crafted to embrace diversity with the Mother’s Union leading music. During the Lord’s Prayer, congregants were encouraged to pray in their mother tongue.  

 

People brought food that defines their national identity and the sharing part of it was a great and beautiful experience of inculcating diversity. Those with national dressing were encouraged to wear them as a way of celebrating our diversity.

Lessons for the 

The Mother’s Union idea of celebrating our cultural diversity reminded me of the diverse nature of Diocese in Europe chaplaincies. Bishop Robert always talks of the church’s need to be inclusive in terms of cultural diversity and this area needs serious consideration by all the chaplaincies. Though the Diocese belongs to the Church of England; its geographical setting makes it a multi-cultural church. Europe like other continents is becoming more and more multi-cultural due to the issue of migration that has increased people’s mobility. Addressing issues of multi-identities is no longer a luxury for a chaplaincy in the Diocese in Europe but a necessity. How this is to be done is left to the chaplaincy’s context and circumstances. How are we going to address issues of worship, music, spiritualities, languages, and theologies in such diverse communities? This is the question we need to ask the Holy Spirit to guard us in dealing with it. It is my hope that this diversity will make us stronger as a church. Amen.