Deities and fire have gone hand in hand for millennia. In the Judaeo-Christian tradition, in the Old Testament there are many references to God being seen or experienced through fire – think of Moses and the burning bush, or Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Fire is also key to sacrifices of all kinds. Moreover, the nature and action of God is also described as a cleansing fire, burning away sin and evil. Fire is terrifying; but it is also a form of purification, clearing and cleansing the ground for new life and new growth. This isn’t just a religious metaphor; it’s also scientific fact. It turns out that the devastation brought by the eruption of volcanoes is entirely necessary for life and thriving. However, at the time, it can scarcely feel like anything other than total disaster, and utterly terrifying.
 
At Pentecost, fifty days after the Resurrection, ten days after Jesus has ascended back to heaven, the Holy Spirit is sent down upon the disciples. Prior to this, the Holy Spirit came down upon certain people for certain tasks. It was in a sense “limited” and for a specific time and purpose. In absolute contrast to this, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit for all his followers, echoing the prophecy from Joel 2.28-32 where God says that in the “last days” (which can be reasonably construed as all time after the Resurrection) He will pour out His Spirit on all people.
 
Time and again we see this divine extravagance occurring: in prophecy, in parable, in narrative of Jesus’ actions. So perhaps it is no surprise that at Pentecost the Holy Spirit comes down in fire and power upon the disciples who, until then, have remained nervous and avoided public scrutiny, despite Jesus’ various appearances to them and time with them post-Resurrection. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they lose all fear and hesitation. Their “get up and go” is turbo-charged, and quite literally changes the world. They are on fire with and for God.
 
Fire is terrifying, purifying, cleansing, and transformative; providing space for renewal where it touches. It also spreads, unless firmly limited within a boundary.
 
At Pentecost we celebrate the birth of the Church, and the coming of the Holy Spirit on all believers – visible in those first days as tongues of fire upon the disciples’ heads. I wonder what incredible transformation the fire of God’s Spirit could bring about if only we lifted the limits we impose upon God, and if we allowed His will to be done, instead of insisting upon our own.
 
This Pentecost may God fill us again with His Spirit and set us on fire with love for Him, to do His will. Amen.

Revd. Talisker