On that day of Pentecost, as Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit descended upon God's people who had gathered together. The account of that day as told by Luke in Acts 2 is filled with vivid imagery and excitement. That day was also a day of fulfillment, as the promise of God's Holy Spirit - the Advocate (literally "Paraclete" or "helper") - had been made by Jesus on his final night in the upper room.

On this day of Pentecost, we will focus on the gift of the Holy Spirit of God both then and now, by examining and reflecting upon the promise Jesus made to his disciples. Our text for Sunday (John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15) tells not only of the Spirit's coming, but also Her role in the life of Jesus' followers - a role that extends well beyond the time of Jesus and his earliest followers, to us today.

My daily faith relies heavily upon the Holy Spirit intervening in my life, in large part because I know I cannot do this on my own. I need someone speaking to me on God's behalf (and mostly likely speaking to God on my behalf!). I need those nudges, those whispers, those "God-winks" as many people like to call them. I do not believe in coincidence, but I strongly believe in the constant presence of the Holy Spirit of God - a Spirit who was promised and a promise that is constantly fulfilled.

Pentecost is the celebration of the Holy Spirit being universally given to God's people ... in that line of thinking, every day is Pentecost, IF we are willing to pause long enough, set aside our own ego and feelings of self-accomplishment, and give credit where credit is really due ... to God through the Holy Spirit.