The 50th Day

In one of the ironies of life, the fairly fundamental and liturgical church where I grew up always celebrated Pentecost Sunday. The altar cloths were changed to a fiery red and the organ played hymns heard only once a year from the special Pentecost section of the hymnal. It was our one dalliance into anything remotely mystical. The early verses of Acts Two were, of course, explained away as a one-time event.

¹ While the Day of Pentecost was running its course they were all together in one place, ² when suddenly there came from the sky a noise like that of a strong driving wind, which filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ And there appeared to them tongues like flames of fire, dispersed among them and resting on each one. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them power of utterance.

But verses 16 -18 made the minister a little nervous.

¹⁶ But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
¹⁷ "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
¹⁸even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

For one day out of the year, it was permissible to contemplate portents in the sky above and signs on the earth below: blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before that great and terrible Day of the Lord.


As I began to say, in one of the ironies of my life, the miracles-died-out-with-the-apostles church where I grew up always celebrated Pentecost Sunday. But throughout my adult life, spent mainly in churches with an end-times outlook and Pentecostal flavor, very seldom has Pentecost been mentioned as a festal day. Today's geezer service, to the pastor's credit, did sport a hymn about the Holy Spirit, a very singable melody in ¾ time. I am not sure what happened in the contemporary service, but seeing as how waltz music is hard to clap to, no doubt they opted for something else.


Now I am going to have to point out my point because I am pretty sure I have not made it yet. My point is, one has to be responsible for his or her own spiritual life because every church is going to leave stuff out. There is a Day of the Lord coming, and whether you find it 'great and terrible' or 'great and resplendent' depends upon how you plan for it. Don't trust your church to have it covered.