Why is Whit Sunday one of the most important in the whole Christian year?

You will not find the word "Whitsun" anywhere in the Bible.The reason for this is that it is really a shortened form for a "nick-name" for the day !

It is short for "White Sunday", and refers to what always used to happen on this day .....People who had put their faith in Christ were baptised by full immersion in water. In the early days of the Christian church, not long after Jesus had gone back to heaven, people would be baptised in rivers or lakes. This still happens all over the world, and especially in the Baptist church. They would wear white clothes as they went down into the water, and as they came out of the water it was a sign of their 'rising' from a life of sin to a new life offered by Jesus Christ, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

As you can see, this is a major commitment, and the white clothes that people wore for their baptism symbolised the new clean life that Christ gives to those who want to follow Him.

So "White-Sunday" was a good name for this day.

The Bible name for Whit Sunday is "Pentecost", which means "50th". This is because Whit Sunday is always 50 days after Easter Day.
If you write '50th' in the original New Testament Greek, the nearest you can get is the word 'Pentecost'.

What happened on the first Pentecost? Luke, who wrote about it in his second book, (the "Acts of the Apostles" in the New Testament of the Bible, and who thoroughly checked with eye-witnesses), found it hard to describe.

The 11 apostles (the people who had followed Jesus throughout his ministry and were closest to him) were in a room in Jerusalem with other followers of Christ, praying together, when there was a sound like a very strong wind and something like "tongues of fire " which appeared over each of their heads. They were filled with God's Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised before his ascension. They then began to "speak in tongues", which sounded as if they were talking different languages, all at the same time.

Many Christians have 'spoken in tongues' from that day to this. This phenomenon is not quite the same as the gift given to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. It is a spiritual language, given by the Holy Spirit, to some Christians so that they can pray and praise God.

I have several times been in a hall or room when the people there all started quietly speaking in tongues. It sounded rather as if each person was using a language I do not know. In fact, the person doing this knows that she or he is praising God with joy, and "praying in tongues" is also very useful when somebody wants to pray very much for somebody else.

St.Paul says that not every Christian does this. In my family of four one speaks in tongues whereas I do not.

God gave the apostles the gift of speaking other languages for a reason. They went outside, where there were crowds of people from all over the known world who had come to Jerusalem for a big religious festival, and the apostles started talking about the wonderful works of God. The people who heard them were amazed. They could not understand how the apostles, who were not very highly-educated, could speak at least seven different languages so that everyone could understand what they were saying.

This momentous day is often called "The Birthday of the Church", because it was the start of the Christian church.

WHAT CAN WHITSUNDAY MEAN FOR YOU AND FOR ME ?

Firstly, it is about asking God to give us faith in Christ, because this is given to us by the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, it is about being open to God, and asking him for the gift of his Holy Spirit, to fill our lives and help us to do the things God is calling us to do.

Thirdly, it is about taking time to pray and to praise God, who enriches us as we do so.

Fourthly, it is about receiving help from God so that we can talk about Jesus to family, friends and neighbours so that they too can come into the life Jesus gives us. It is our job as Christians to share the good news of Jesus with those around us, like those early apostles. Mercifully, most of us don't have to learn another language before we can do so!

May God bless you with his Holy Spirit today.