Shane Claiborne has an excellent, succinct explanation for today’s celebration of Pentecost:

This past weekend Christians around the world celebrated one of our holiest holidays: Pentecost. Pentecost, meaning “50 days,” is celebrated seven weeks after Easter (hence the 50), and marks the birthday of the Church when the Holy Spirit is said to have fallen on the early Christian community like fire from the heavens (for this reason lots of Christians wear red and decorate in pyro-colors, and it’s also where the fiery Pentecostal movement draws its name).

Link: http://bit.ly/2IC5Y5k

Shane Claiborne, “Not Just Another Manic Monday: Pentecost And The Reconciliation Of Humanity,” The Huffington Post, August 13, 2011, accessed May 21, 2018, http://bit.ly/2IC5Y5k.