Next week we mark Fifty days since celebrating together the Lord’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.  Pentecost Sunday culminates the Easter season.
“Pentecost” is a Greek word that means either “50 days” or “50th day”. 

Our environment team, who works so diligently to make our worship space reflect the liturgical season of the year, will hang the familiar red of Pentecost. 
The priest’s vestments will be red and the flowers too.

This fiery red represents the Holy Spirit as it appears as tongues of fire on those who were gathered in the upper room.  

In the gospel John tells us that the risen Christ breathed on the disciples and said, “receive the Holy Spirit.” 

Truly the gospel is full of stories about the Spirit: John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in the womb. Mary, Elizabeth, Zechariah, Simeon and Anna too, were all filled with the Spirit.
Jesus is often described as filled with the power of the Spirit.   As a church, we acknowledge that all power comes from God by the working of the Holy Spirit.

So, as an assembly we can manifest the sign of the Holy Spirit among us in a very simple fashion:
wear something red next Sunday!    (May 30,2004)