MAY 2026

Dear Church,

Shavuot to Pentecost: Law to Spirit
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:8)

We celebrate Pentecost in the month of May, and we are reminded that this powerful New Testament event is deeply rooted in an ancient Old Testament festival, called ‘Shavuot’.

In the Hebrew Bible, Shavuot is known as the Feast of Weeks. This is observed fifty days after Passover. Originally, it was a harvest festival, a time of thanksgiving for the first fruits of the wheat harvest (Exodus 34:22). Over time, it also came to commemorate the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, when God established His covenant with Israel.

Centuries later, during this very festival, something extraordinary happened. In Acts 2, we read that the disciples were gathered when the Holy Spirit descended upon them with the sound of a rushing wind and tongues of fire. This moment, now known as Pentecost, marked the birth of the Church and the beginning of a new chapter in God’s redemptive plan.

The connection between Shavuot and Pentecost is profound. At Sinai, God gave His people the Law, written on tablets of stone. At Pentecost, God poured out His Spirit, writing His law on the hearts of believers. What was external became internal; what was commanded became empowered; what was a shadow became a substance.

This transformation echoes the promise found in the Book of Jeremiah: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). Pentecost is the fulfilment of this promise! A shift from obligation to transformation through the Holy Spirit. 

As we reflect on Pentecost, we are invited to live not just by the letter, but by the Spirit. The same Spirit that empowered the early Church continues to guide, strengthen, and equip us today. 

May this season remind us of that God’s work in us is ongoing, from harvest to holiness, from law to life, and from promise to power.

God Bless,
Amutha