On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit spread and moved among and within the people. But Pentecost is not just an ancient story, it is about us, here and now. It is about the ongoing life of the followers of Jesus.
The many symbols of Pentecost remind us that the Holy Spirit takes many forms, speaks many languages, moves in many ways, and offers unexpected gifts.
*Dove: Holy Spirit descended “like a dove” at Jesus’ baptism.
*Wind: Representing God’s breath, which is the core of our Great Story from the very beginning, when God blew into the darkness, shaping the chaos and breathing all creation into life. It is God’s breath that is our life force.
*Fire: Representing the all-consuming presence the Holy Spirit offers, filling our ancestors then, and us today, with passion and verve, power, strength, and beauty. Wild Goose: The Holy Spirit cannot be contained or controlled, it is free and wild. Female ethos: The Holy Spirit is often referred to as “she”; sometimes “Lady Wisdom”.
*Red: The color red represents the zest and life of the Holy Spirit and the fire that burns in our hearts when we open ourselves to all the Spirit offers.
*The Holy Spirit, one part of the Trinity, is offered in Scripture as a life-sustaining, energizing force, which not only guides us, but pushes us into all we are meant to be as people of God.
The people present at the original Pentecost felt a holy sense of unity, despite the differences between them. They came from different geographical areas and spoke different languages, yet they all experienced the same powerful presence of God and all could understand the message of the Spirit as it blew and danced among them.
