Controlled Burn

Acts 2:1-21
Pentecost
 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+2%3A1-21&version=NRSVUE

The Jewish Festival of Pentecost, fifty days after Passover, is what gathered the people together in one place, as this scripture begins. The Holy Spirit fell upon them in the form of a gale force wind and in individual flames alighting on each one of them. The coming of the Holy Spirit spread like wildfire through their ranks, and they were able to speak and understand in different languages, all the languages that were shared by the diversity of people who had gathered there. The Christian Church views this event as the birth of the church because the large number of people who experienced the Holy Spirit proclaimed the good news of Jesus with bold urgency.
 
Fire is a powerful symbol in the Bible that often represents purification, transformation, and divine presence. Just as fire refines metal, the Holy Spirit refines and purifies hearts. The flames burn away impurities and empower us to live in accordance with the Holy Spirit. Like a fire that spreads, the Holy Spirit spreads the message of God's love and grace throughout the world by igniting hearts with love and hope.

The image that comes to mind is a “controlled burn” by the fire or forestry service. A controlled burn is a technique that intentionally sets fires in a controlled environment to maintain and restore the health of the ecosystem. Fire managers plan carefully to make sure the conditions will assist in a successful burn. They consider the wind and the air quality. They create fire breaks to control the fire and to prevent it from spreading into areas that don’t need burning. They have on hand the right fire extinguishing tools to make sure the fire doesn’t get out of control.

Fire is unpredictable and uncontrollable, which is the nature of the Holy Spirit, and that loss of control is scary for a lot of people. Too many fire managers in the church try to control the flames of the Holy Spirit, only to find that the Spirit cannot be contained or controlled. They will even attempt a controlled burn, but the flames will be smothered out. We cannot control the Spirit’s fire.

If anyone is a fire manager, it’s God, who controls where the Spirit spreads like wildfire and where a controlled burn is needed to maintain and restore the health of the church. No matter how scary it may be to experience the power and the swiftness of the Holy Spirit flames, we need to put away our fire extinguishing tools and let the Spirit spread through the ranks, empowering each of us with strength and boldness to proclaim the good news of Christ’s love.

Come, Holy Spirit, in a gale force wind! Come, Holy Spirit, in a blaze of glory!
 
Reflection Questions:
What image of the Holy Spirit speaks to you?
Have you ever experienced the Holy Spirit spreading like wildfire?
Have you ever been a fire manager or a fire extinguisher? What was the end result?
Is it time for a controlled burn by the Holy Spirit in your life?
 
Action:
Boldly share the love of Jesus with one person this week. 

I will be taking a break over the summer from writing spiritual reflections here, but I will return in September. Check out the "In the Sanctuary" podcast for weekly sermons.