Pentecost Sunday • May 23, 2021

You’ll notice lots of red today. That’s because red is the symbolic color of Pentecost, considered by many as the “birth” of the Christian church. On Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’s followers. Suddenly, everyone present—regardless of his or her native language—was able to understand each other completely, and to communicate Christ’s message. All had been touched with God’s Spirit.

Decorations today include a couple of globes, which remind us of our Christian friends across the earth … carved stones that evoke the strength and beauty of Christ’s life … doves, which are symbols of gentleness and hope … and art, textiles and flowers that capture the color and essence of the wind and flames described in the Bible story of Pentecost.