By Holly Andres
Staff Writer
GLENDALE — Three congregations will join in rousing hymns and Gospel readings Sunday at a multilingual service celebrating Pentecost, the arrival of the Holy Spirit.
“It comes 50 days after Easter. It is the third great feast day for Christians after Easter and Christmas,” said the Rev. Keith Banwart, pastor at St. Matthew’s Church, which will host the Korean Peace Church and the Armenian Evangelical Brethren Church in the first in a series of services in English, Korean and Armenian.
Even though Pentecost — derived from the Greek word for 50th — has that status in the church year, it’s the forgotten festival for many Christians, Banwart said.
“It’s harder for people to think of or connect to the Holy Spirit,” Banwart said. “Jesus called the Holy Spirit the ‘comforter’ or the ‘advocate.’ The Old Testament often uses female or motherly imagery for the Holy Spirit. We see the Holy Spirit as praying for us, renewing us, strengthening us.”
The Holy Spirit is one of the three ways that God reveals himself to Christians.
Jesus’ disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and were subsequently able to communicate his messages in many languages. It is said that thousands of people became Christians on that day and therefore Pentecost is traditionally considered to be the birthday of the Christian church.
“We’re rejoicing on Pentecost in God’s speaking to all people,” said Melissa Bridge, the music director at St. Matthew’s. “I think that Pentecost is a further realization of the faith of Easter. It’s a celebratory day when we can worship together as one and see ourselves as one congregation.”
It has been the custom at St. Matthew’s to celebrate Pentecost in many languages and to acknowledge the cultural diversity in the Glendale-Burbank neighborhood that the church serves.
The service will include Scripture readings in German, Swedish, English, Korean, Armenian, Spanish, Greek and Persian. Some of the hymns will be sung alternatively in English and Korean.
“My goal is for people to feel a real celebration of the unity that we share in the Holy Spirit,” said Banwart. “The Holy Spirit really shows us, regardless of background, language orientation, that we are all one in Christ and children of God.”
Attendees at a Pentecost service are encouraged to wear red, which signifies the Holy Spirit and those who have been martyred for their Christian faith. Altar cloths, paraments, robes of the clergy and choir and flowers that decorate the church are red.
The feast day of Pentecost is the beginning of the Pentecost season that continues to Advent, which begins on Nov. 28 this year. Banwart will focus on who Jesus is by studying the “I am” statements found in the Gospel of John for his Sunday sermons through Pentecost. A Pentecost service, led by the Revs. Keith Banwart, Byung Lok Kwon and Vreg Mansourian, will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday at St. Matthew’s Church, 1920 W. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale. The Korean Peace Church will hold a 12:30 p.m. service and the Armenian Evangelical Brethren Church will hold a 3 p.m. service on Sundays beginning June 6. Call (818) 842-3138 or see www.MatthewChurch.com.
Holly Andres, (818) 713-3708 holly.andres@dailynews.com “We see the Holy Spirit as praying for us, renewing us, strengthening us.” — the Rev. Keith Banwart Pastor at St. Matthew’s Church
Yorumlar kapatıldı.