This week ( seven weeks and one day after Easter) we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. We are trying to recover the sense that the three days of Easter (the cross and resurrection) are bookended with the feast of Pentecost. In Easter we celebrate our redemption; in Pentecost we celebrate the sending forth to the world of the redemption won in Jesus Christ.
Fire is a very strong symbol of the presence and working of the Holy Spirit. When Moses first encountered God, he met him in the burning bush. God sent him on his mission to rescue the enslaved Hebrews from the burning bush. Fire has always remained a very strong sign of the presence and working of the Holy Spirit.
Now on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is given to the disciples in pieces (i.e., tongues – to use an image from present day carpentry). This is a sign that they are being empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Now, we need a little more of the fire of God in our world today.
May there be pieces of God’s fire wherever there is war and fighting. Countless young men (mostly) are killed and maimed through bombs and land mines. May there be pieces of God’s fire moving the powers that be to end the war and work towards peace between nations.
Throughout the world there are countless people who have strong financial power, are well educated and manage serious responsibilities but they have chosen to be indifferent to the suffering of their poor neighbors. The world may admire them as being very successful but their heart has shrunk. They are indifferent to the sufferings of others. May the fire of compassion be lite in their hearts. May the heat of God’s love melt the indifferent walls of the tight, tight heart.
The population of the world is on the move. Never before in human history have so many people left the land they were born in and moved to country where life will be better for their children. There are people in our Canada (and we all have immigrant roots) who are very opposed and verbally hostile toward the newcomers. We pray that the fire of the Holy Spirit burn strong in their hearts to take ownership of their own immigrant roots and their hearts expand to understand people who have different skin color, speak with an accent and work two to three jobs.
I want to leave it to you to add a few more ‘fires’ for Pentecost. What is the Holy Spirit trying to teach us with this fire image? What new insights have you gained by exploring the possibility of this fire image?
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