This feast day is the birthday of the church, having its roots in an ancient Jewish harvest celebration that's fifty days after Passover. It was a celebration of abundance and a celebration of God giving the law to Moses. The power of the Pentecost moment winds itself into these images, becoming a symbol that God's promises and commands are not just for the Jewish people, but for the whole world. So the Feast of Pentecost is a celebration of the spirit of God is present in us when we are gathered in community and in love for one another – a love expanding in ever greater circles to the world. But note also that the Spirit's presence and teaching among us is conditional on our keeping of Jesus' commandments – of which the greatest is that we should love one another. The greater the Christlike love we have for each other, the more strongly the power of the Spirit moves amongst us.

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