Pentecost: days of fire
The first followers of Jesus were traumatised when he was unexpectedly arrested, tried and put to death by crucifixion. A few days later they had a further shock: Jesus appeared to them alive again, risen from the dead. Their despair switched to joy.
But 50 days after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, on a Jewish feast day known as Pentecost or Shavuot, they experienced a third, electrifying jolt. They were meeting together in Jerusalem, as usual, when the unexpected happened again…
'Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues...'
This event galvanised the first Christians to take their message out into the streets – and beyond that, out into the world. Ever since that time, Christians have celebrated Pentecost (which takes place on the 50th day after Easter Sunday) as the moment when God's spirit descended and the church was born.
For most of Christian history, the festival of Pentecost has been celebrated quietly and soberly. But in the early years of the 20th century, the powerful effects experienced by the first disciples were rediscovered in two 'revivals': one in Wales, the other in Los Angeles. People experienced shaking, falling over, speaking in tongues, 'holy laughter' and other ecstatic experiences.
One man reported from the Los Angeles meetings: 'I could feel the power going through me like electric needles. The Spirit taught me that I must not resist the power, but give way and become limp as a piece of cloth.'
These revivals sparked the growth of a new force within the Christian faith known as Pentecostalism. Today, the Pentecostal and charismatic movements together constitute a major stream in the worldwide church.
