I’m writing this on the Bank Holiday known these days as Spring Bank Holiday but originally known until 1972 as Whit Monday. Older readers will no doubt remember the name but younger ones may be thinking “What’s Whit?”

Whitsun was the old English name for the Christian feast of Pentecost, when the followers of Jesus received the Holy Spirit to ignite the spread of the Good News of Christ to the world. In effect, the birthday of the Christian Church.

The name Whit originated, most likely, from the white garments worn by those being baptised at Pentecost, a popular time for becoming Christian.

Pentecost Sunday falls 50 days after Easter so, like Easter, it is a ‘moveable feast’. In medieval times, the whole following week was a holiday, then in 1871, Whit Monday was made a bank holiday but in 1972 the government decided that it would be more convenient to have the Spring bank holiday on a fixed date each year, so Whit Monday largely disappeared.

I’ve mentioned Pentecost a couple of times, but what is it? Another old tradition that has disappeared? Not at all.

Over the last 100 years or so, it has gained increasing importance in all the mainstream Christian churches, as they have come to realise that the Holy Spirit - who gave wisdom and miraculous power to Christ’s followers on that first Pentecost Sunday, fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead on the first Easter - is still very much alive and active.

Not just in a general way, inspiring and guiding church leaders, but radically renewing the lives of all Christians who humbly surrender to God’s will; fanning their faith into a flame; increasing their zeal to share the good news of God’s amazing and unconditional love for mankind, through Jesus their Saviour; empowering them to bring healing of body, mind and spirit to many who are suffering.

Some people dismiss this “Pentecostalism” in mainstream churches as an unwelcome new aberration of Christianity. But if we read the Bible, especially the Acts of the Apostles, with open minds, we see that the release of the Holy Spirit on all mankind was God’s intention from the beginning, and the means by which He will “renew the face of the earth” (Psalm 104:30) – and doesn’t it need renewing!