Pentecost

How quickly this year is going … Pentecost is nearly upon us…

If, like me, you are working with the children and families of your church you may well be up to your eyes in prepping Pentecost activities.  Lots of red, yellow and orange tissue paper, streamers, cake and candles… already to celebrate the “birthday” of the church, but I wonder how often we take time to think about what Pentecost means to us on a personal level.

It is my turn to write the blog for our weekly newsletter and,  whilst I find writing these blogs extremely challenging, I recognise the opportunity it gives me to think about and reflect on what is happening in the week, where is God leading me and what does He want me to write about this time.  After much wandering around my “office” with a coffee and thinking about Pentecost a family favourite worship song has dropped into my head… its  probably one you know, Shine Jesus Shine… it has been sung at several of our family weddings and baptisms recently and takes me back a good 20 years to my children singing it at Girls and Boys brigade parade services at the church we worshipped at then.

So what bit to do with Pentecost has sparked something in my brain… Well it has to be the line, “Blaze spirit Blaze, Set my Heart on Fire”.  It wasn’t hearts being set on fire… in the bible  Acts 2 verse 3-4 it says “They saw something like flames of fire that were separated and stood over each person there.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak different languages by the power the Holy Spirit was giving them.” 

I am not sure what people would think if they saw other people wandering around with tongues of fire hovering above them so maybe that is why I sometimes think that, when filled with the Holy Spirit, it feels like your heart is on fire.

 I wonder when the last time was that you felt on fire for Jesus?  We can get a bit worn down and tired doing the great and good things that are being asked of us at church, by family and work, which sometimes we just get on and do but, if we ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, if our hearts are on fire, we might feel very differently about what and why we are doing  what is being asked of us.  The holy spirit is with us whenever we need him as a source of power and comfort as well as helping us live our Christian life.

I’ve never prayed in tongues or spoke in a foreign language but many years ago God gave me words and knowledge that I needed.   I was in a meeting preparing for a youth training weekend with a very good friend of mine who started asking me lots of questions about the bible, I found myself reeling off all sorts of answers to her questions… I know that I didn’t know the answers that day to all those questions…but I did know that what was coming out of my mouth was right… it definitely wasn’t me talking that day.

The Power of the Holy Spirit, the opportunity to feel on fire for God and let Jesus lead the way … Open our hearts Lord!  Blaze Spirit Blaze, set my heart on Fire!

That’s what I’ll be concentrating on whilst we celebrate Pentecost and beyond.