Pentecost: On Fire, Literally

Have you ever been on fire?  I know it is kind of a crazy question.  One time, I was filling an oil lamp and I spilled the oil on my hands.  I wiped off the oil on my hands using a cloth thinking that I had prevented any calls to the fire department.  I put the cloth down, sealed the oil lamp, and then proceeded to light the lamp.  Smart, I know!  I should have washed my hands.  When I lit the lamp, the left over oil on my hands caught on fire.  I was literally on fire!  The good olde stop, drop, and roll did not really help because my entire body was not on fire, just my hands.  My hands were burning and I ran like heck because it hurt.   I did not know where I was running, but I ran.  As I ran, I tried to pat the fire out on my body, which ended up burning my shirt.  I quickly ran to a sink nearby and poured water over my hands.  Ahhhh, crisis averted.

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday.  It is the remembrance of how the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples and others gathered and experienced flaming tongues of fire, rushing wind, and the ability for everyone to understand people in different languages.  There were those who believed it was God acting, as foretold by the prophet Joel (see Joel 2:28-32) and there were those who thought these men were drunk with new wine.  Peter stands up to make sense of what was happening.  They are not drunk!   But, they are experiencing with God promised would happen, that His Spirit would be poured out on Israel’s sons and daughters.  Jesus told the disciples in John 15: “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the father, He will testify on my behalf… He will guide you to truth…He will glorify me.”

Literally, those gathered at Pentecost were on fire, in the Holy Spirit.  Figuratively, they were on fire for God.  They desired to share this experience.  The direct affect of the coming of the Holy Spirit enabled people to repent, believe, and be baptized.  They had a burning desire to live in community (Acts 2:42) and to serve God.  Being on fire, for God, in the figurative sense means that we must experience the Holy Spirit’s life giving presence.  How do we do that?  By worshiping, praying, believing, serving, and deepening our faith in Christ.  Being on fire for God means that we share that Pentecostal power of God’s Spirit changing our lives.  The Pentecostal experience was meant to be shared with others and not meant to be kept hidden.  This Pentecost, may you be on fire for God.  May you be on fire with the presence of the Holy Spirit, who comes to bring the sustaining power of God.  May you be on fire for God, who enables miracles to happen.  May God burn within you, giving you the warm love of grace in your heart.

So, next time you catch on fire, make sure you catch on fire for God…er… figuratively.