Today is Pentecost Sunday

...and I can think of no better way to observe it here in Blogland than to introduce you to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, which holds forth in New York City in a church that used to be a theater. The pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle is Jim Cymbala, and his wife Carol directs the choir.

In Christianity, Pentecost is considered to be the birthday of the Church because it is the day the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus Christ descended to earth and filled the disciples of Jesus. “I will not leave you comfortless,” Jesus had said. “I will come to you.” The word Pentecost (from Greek words that mean “fifty days”) occurred fifty days after Christ’s resurrection from the dead at Easter and ten days after his ascension into Heaven. The immediate effect of the descent of the Holy Spirit to believers was their ability to speak in languages they did not know.

I can think of no more unlikely institution in the world (from the world’s point of view) than the church, no events more unlikely than Easter, the Ascension, and Pentecost, and no more unlikely choir (again, from the world’s point of view) than the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

Here are three video clips of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir:

“Worthy Is The Lamb” (5:38)

“Thou, O Lord, Are A Shield For Me” (5:47)

“I’m Amazed” (5:15) with guest singer Jason Crabb.

The last two clips happen to include subtitles in Portuguese. I have no idea why. But it is Pentecost, after all.

Pentecôte, painted in 1732 by French Neoclassical painter Jean II Restout (1692 - 1768)