May 24th is Pentecost Sunday.  Traditionally, we have all been encouraged to wear RED on that day.  Please help to continue this wonderful tradition by donning your red.

The term means “the fiftieth day.” It is used in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament it refers to a feast of seven weeks known as the Feast of Weeks. An agricultural event that focused on the harvesting of first fruits. Josephus referred to Pentecost as the fiftieth day after the first day of Passover. Pentecost is used in the New Testament to refer to the coming of the Spirit (Acts 2:1), shortly after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. As Christians we understand the meaning of Pentecost in terms of the gift of the Spirit. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost fulfilled Jesus’ promise to provide for a Helper to his followers. With the gift of the Holy Spirit a variety of spiritual gifts were given to the followers of Christ. The most notable one on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) is the gift of speaking in tongues where the gift given is so that the followers of Christ can go out into the world proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in every clime and place. The gift of the Holy Spirit emphasizes the church as the body of Christ called, gathered, and enlightened by the Word of God. The Day of Pentecost is one of the seven principal feasts of the church year in the Episcopal Church (BCP, p. 15). The Day of Pentecost is identified by the BCP as one of the feasts that is “especially appropriate” for baptism (p. 312). The liturgical color for the feast is red. Pentecost has also been known as Whitsun or Whitsunday, a corruption of “White Sunday.” This term reflects the custom by which those who were baptized at the Vigil of Pentecost would wear their white baptismal garments to church on the Day of Pentecost. The Hymnal 1982 provides a variety of hymns for Pentecost (Hymns 223-230) and the Holy Spirit (Hymns 500-516).