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Wind and fire are the two symbols for Pentecost, since that’s what the scripture tells us the people experienced, or at least were metaphors for what they experienced. There was a sound like the rush of a mighty wind, and flames, as of fire, appeared among them and rested on them. I have seen or heard of many ways of portraying these two symbols in worship on Pentecost Sunday. Churches will give out pinwheels to blow on, or they will have a fan blowing on streamers or windchimes. We invited you to wear red—a fairly common practice in the Christian church. It is the liturgical color for the day and is associated, of course, with fire. These are all weak imitations, of course. We don’t really want the sound of a mighty wind in worship—it would interfere with the sound system. And we don’t really want flames of fire unless they’re in good, safe candleholders, kept at a distance from curious children and exuberant clergy with six foot wingspans! Worship has to be safe, after all.
And sometimes that’s the problem. Yes, worship must be physically safe, but too often we want it to be emotionally risk-free, too. We want to come and hear a nice sermon that we already agree with, that doesn’t challenge our beliefs or perspectives or habits. And I realize that this is super easy for me to say because since I do 3/4 of the preaching, I at least agree with 3/4 of the sermons! And yes, sometimes we need to come to church to be comforted. We need to come to church for a break from the tension of the world. We need to come to church and be safe. AND we need to come to church to be challenged, to be made uncomfortable, and to be changed.
The Holy Spirit’s presence at Pentecost didn’t make anybody feel comforted or comfortable. The Spirit came and those who were touched were accused of being drunk at 9:00 in the morning. The Spirit came and even those held in bondage could prophesy of freedom. The Spirit came and shook things up. The Spirit came and set things on fire.
But the church in America has settled for fake substitutes for the Spirit’s fire. Instead of fire, they offer smoke, for surely where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right? That’s what we were always told. But all the smoke does is burn our eyes and our lungs, so that we can neither see clearly nor breathe deeply. Instead of fire, the church has offered smoke.
Instead of fire, the church has offered flameless candles. Oh, sure, they’re wonderful for outdoor vigils on windy nights, but they provide no heat and little light, and nothing will be kindled by a fake flame “This little light of mine! I’m gonna’ . . . turn it off before somebody sees.” Instead of fire, the church has offered an illusion.
We need the fire of the Holy Spirit. This is not a fire that burns. This is not a fire that turns us to ash. This is a fire like Abraham encountered—a fire that does not consume, but lights the way; a fire that says “I have heard the cries of my people.” This is a fire like Moses and the Israelites encountered—pillars of fire that led the way to freedom. We need a little fire.
A church I knew years ago had a vision statement that said they were striving to be “a passionate and compassionate presence.” It’s that passion that many churches—particularly liberal churches—are missing. We need some passion.
We recently closed our food pantry because it was not meeting a need, at least not the way we’d been doing it. Now is the time to ask: what’s next? To answer that question we need to look in two places. First we need to look outward. What are the unmet needs in our community, and what can we do about them? Second, we need to look inward. What are you passionate about? What gets a fire burning in your belly? Then we can see where those two intersect, where our passion meets the world’s need.
That’s just one example of the fire we need. We also need the fire to make us not just talk about justice but work for it. We need the fire to make us light up with compassion. We need the fire to empower us to dream dreams and see visions and create the world that God envisions. We need some fire.
The order of our worship this morning was intentional. We focused on the Spirit as comforter, connector, and challenger, and for me it often comes in that order. Which do you need this morning? Are you in pain, distress, worry, or fear? Then feel free to sit with the comfort of the Spirit, for “Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is peace.” Are you feeling disconnected, distant from your church community? Then focus on the way the Spirit connects us, for “There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place.” But once you’ve been comforted, and once you’ve gotten connected, then get ready for the fire. Our closing hymn says “Through the wind you ruffled feathers; through the flame you caused alarm. But your love was in each flicker, and your wind blew to disarm.”
Let’s get ready for the fire.