One way to think of it is a fifty-day long Sunday. The thinking was, that after a long period of Lent, the focus should be on extended joy and celebration, not on penitence. Centuries ago church leaders went so far as to mandate that there not be any fasting or even kneeling during these fifty days. Looking back at this history is one of reasons for choosing to omit the confession of sin in our service. Easter and Pentecost are two interwoven experiences that convey how we live in relationship to God.
Easter is resurrection, victory over death, new life.
We will celebrate the feast of Pentecost in a big way next week when the bishop comes for his visitation. Wedged between these two major festivals is Ascension Day. It is a major holiday in Europe and parts of Latin America, yet hardly noticed here in this country. Perhaps many of you were not even aware that Ascension Day had come and gone. In the Bible, numbers are not random occurrences they all have meaning attached to them.