Every year we celebrate our own birthdays with a special birthday cake. What makes a birthday cake different from other cakes is that we set fire to them and then blow out all those little flames. Our birthday’s are all about wind and fire.

The same is true for the birthday we celebrate today—the birthday of Christ’s church. The Pentecost Luke describes in Acts 2:1-4 is likened to the sound of rushing wind and tongues of fiery flames, in order to somehow convey the power and presence contained in this moment. The spiritual rebirth of Jesus’ disciples into apostles of Christ is accompanied by the miraculous sounds and sights associated with theophanies throughout the Hebrew Scriptures.

“Pentecost” was a Jewish festival celebrated on the fiftieth day (“pentekostos”) from Passover. Originally…