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May 27, 2009
Pentecost [May 31, 2009]
Wind and fire: They are no doubt the most fascinating elements on our planet. There will be a fierce desert wind somewhere today. There may be a forest fire somewhere in the California foothills. Some people will be happy to sit around a campfire keeping themselves warm against a cold night wind. We take all this for granted, of course; it’s all part of the complex nature of the universe.
It must be said, of course, that all things that are also have meaning. Scientists may not ask the question of meaning because they have done their work and they can tell you why fire burns and wind blows. Perhaps there is nothing fascinating for them about natural elements. (Of course, I may be wrong; perhaps scientists think more deeply about wind and fire than even metaphysicians or contemplative monks.) At any rate, my hunch is that most folks in the modern world make little time for contemplation. They take the elemental forces in the universe for granted.
Not so our ancient ancestors, particularly our ancestors in the faith, people from the Middle East, the Hebrews in particular.
Here are several clear references to fire in the Old Testament: God, in the burning bush, cited in Exodus summoned Moses to reveal his name YHWH. It was sacred fire, of course. Moses took off his shoes in the presence of the Holy as many Arabs still do today.
A pillar of fire led the Israelites during the night in their escape from Egypt. A fire burning on Mt. Sinai announced the presence of God.
You see, all these might have been natural phenomena, but the Hebrews found meaning in them, sacred meaning.
As an aside, it has always seemed to me that nature provides a fine opportunity to experience wonder: Sunsets, sunrises, rainbows, cloud formations, et cetera. They all exist, of course, but they also have a unique meaning for each individual viewer.
Wind or winds have also held a prominent part in Jewish history and faith. Early on, in the Book of Genesis, wind is felt sweeping over the primordial waters to bring forth life that signified the presence of God.
In various other places in the Old Testament wind was interpreted as the breath of God, a sign of God’s spirit. We all know, of course, the story of how Adam was brought to life: God breathed air into him.
For those Israelites leaving Egypt across the Sea of Reeds, a strong East wind assisted them on their journey.
Prophets, Elijah and Ezekiel are caught up into the heavens with a whirling wind.
For the Israelites, therefore, wind is not a threat but the sacred force of God assisting his people.
Given all these references to wind and fire in the Jewish bible, it is not unlikely that we might find them mentioned in the Pentecost event spoken of by Luke in the gospel and in Acts. This was the moment in human history when the Holy Spirit moved, not over the waters, but over the lives of some followers of Jesus in the form of wind and fire and from that moment on the history the world has not been the same.
The effect of that fire and wind was to spark the disciples into action, that is, to spread the good news of Jesus to the far corners of the earth. Did it work? Take a look and see where Christianity can be found on the planet today.
From that moment forward, then, the message of God ceased to be solely a Jewish possession. Parochialism was now a thing of the past. Everyone far and wide would feel the brunt of that wind and fire. We, obviously, are the recipients of that great force here and now.
So what does Pentecost mean to us? How does wind and fire affect the contemporary Church? Here is what a contemporary theologian says: “Wind and fire remind us that ours is a church that is characterized by mobility and not stasis, by charism rather than constraint, by ecstasy rather than by retrenchment. Wind and fire blow and breathe and burn with an energy that cannot be quenched. Wind and fire attest to the difference the Jesus movement has made, is making and should make in the world.”
Of course, sacred wind and fire will never have any effect in the world unless we Christians, you and I, feel that wind in our face and that fire in our bellies and are determined to carry that good news of Jesus to the far corners of the world….well, at least around the block, or around the neighborhood. It has to start somewhere, right? But once you catch the spirit, there is no stopping it. You know how it is: Once they get out of control, no one knows where they will stop, which, of course, is as it should be.
The scriptures: Acts 2: 1-11; 1 Corinthians 12: 3-7; John 20: 19-23
Posted by Cindy Lentine on May 27, 2009 09:43 AM.
