The ancient peoples believed the earth was made up of four primary elements: earth, water, fire and wind.　 Two of those elements played a major role that first awesome Day of Pentecost and all four play a significant metaphorical role in biblical faith.

The Holy Spirit arrived on the rush of a mighty wind and tongues of fire, and the church was born and empowered for mission.　 Fire and Wind!　 We know all about fire and wind and the incredible power both can manifest.　 This first decade of the 21^st century has seen tragic and spectacular manifestations of wind and fire, especially in raging wildfires gobbling up hundreds of thousands of acres and the devastation left in the paths of hurricanes, typhoons and tornados.　

Fire and Wind – Wind and Fire!　 Wind and fire are not always devastating and destructive, but most often are positive, helpful and healthful.　

Experts tell us that fire has a natural relationship with the forest and hasn’t been considered adversarial until more recent times.　 Fire is not necessarily the enemy of the forest. In fact, it is the friend of the forest.　　When human habitation was scarce, the forest had a symbiotic relationship with fire. Ground fires naturally ignited by lightning cleared forest floors of accumulated leaves, branches, small trees, undergrowth and needles. These ecologically friendly fires swiftly swept across the forest floor, leaving large trees intact with room to grow.　 The fires actually nourished the soil and reduced the threat of nasty tree attacking pests that today rage uncontrolled in many of our forest lands. Since humans interrupted the natural balance there have been profound implications of our intrusion.

The same is true of wind. 　We have seen the destructive power of the wind.　 However, the energy of wind can be harnessed to generate electricity, power a sailboat, fly a kite, or fly a plane, or cool one down on a hot summer day.　 　Massive global wind patterns in concert with the great oceans have much to do with balancing the earth’s temperature globally and determining precipitation.　

I believe fire and wind are appropriate metaphors for the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of faith.　 As with the forest, some burning is good for us, too.　 Isn’t that what we need in our faith? Don’t we need something to create spiritual fertilizer with appropriate and helpful nutrients, strengthening our roots and removing the debris that thwarts the vigorous growth of faith?　　 Don’t we need something to periodically burn away the accumulated undergrowth choking our faith development?　

The fire of the Holy Spirit can burn away the undergrowth and debris of our lives, and allow new, more dynamic life to appear. We can have our souls renewed, our hope enlivened, and our worship made powerful, if only we allow this cleansing fire of God to burn in us and around us and not run for the fire hoses and buckets to snuff it out!　 And too often that is exactly what we do.　 The Holy Spirit, the very presence of the Lord Jesus lives and moves among us stir up new life and new challenges and new paradigms for mission and we sometimes snuff it out with fear, cowardice, or lack of vision.　

Like our forests need fire to remain healthy and vigorous, we need the fire of the Holy Spirit to be healthy Christians and a vigorous church. On that first Pentecost the fire and wind of the Holy Spirit did at least a couple of things.　

First, it disturbed those first disciples.　 I chose my word carefully – "disturbed."　 If you remember, after the crucifixion and even after the resurrection, the disciples were confused and filled with fear.　 They ended up huddled together in seclusion, hiding out, afraid of their own shadows.

When we catch up with them today we see they were still huddled together all in one place.　 There were many more of them, but still huddled together nevertheless. Much of their initial fear had subsided, and they were beginning to experience the joy of the risen Christ, but they were still cloistered, not sure what to do – that is until God’s disturbing fire and wind came among them.　 Disturb literally means "to move, to stir, to shake, to incite, to displace, to intrude upon, to impassion, to loosen."　　 I like those definitions. They are action words, words of power and potency.

I believe that the most dangerous temptation for a congregation is to become complacent and self-satisfied.　 The tendency is to think that our faith should make us comfortable; that our church should be a comfortable place where I won’t be asked to do things, give things, sacrifice of myself and become more than I already am.　　 But, you see, that’s a description of a dead church, not the church of the New Testament; that’s a description of a lifeless church, not the church of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ.　Are you willing to be moved out of your comfort zone for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ.　　　　

God’s fire and wind wants to sweep in among us and around us and begin to make things a little warm, even disturbingly warm and burn away our complacency and desire to be comfortable.　

The second thing is just as fire can give the forest new opportunity for new life, so the Spirit Fire and Spirit Wind can bring new opportunity.　

It’s been my experience that that there are few things people grieve more deeply or regret more intensely that missed opportunity.　 I see it expressed when things fail or fall apart and people say, "I wished I would have…"　 　I sometimes hear it when people stand next to the graves of their loved ones and say, "I wished I would have…"　　

Can you imagine what those first disciples must have felt?　 Take Peter, who cowardly forsook his best friend at Jesus’ most desperate hour.　 The Bible only gives us a glimpse of Peter’s profound regret and grief when Luke tells us that after Peter’s denial, "He went out and wept bitterly."　 (Luke 22:62)

But, did you notice who it was that boldly stood up and preached the very first Pentecost sermon – Peter!　 It was the very same Peter who not long before threw the cold water of denial upon the blaze of his best friend’s life.

What are your missed opportunities when it comes to following Jesus?　 Where and when has Jesus extended an invitation to you to follow him to some new adventure, but you were paralyzed by fear, or apathy, or you were too busy, or too comfortable, or too apathetic, or too whatever?

Pentecost is a glorious statement of what God does when we have missed opportunities.　 It didn’t matter for those first disciples that they had misunderstood and made some terrible choices before this. It didn’t matter that they had failed the Lord miserably when they chickened out.　 It didn’t matter for them, and it doesn’t matter for us because today is Pentecost and God is making sure we have another opportunity and new possibilities.　 It doesn’t matter what happened before today, for today is Pentecost, a day full of grace and new possibilities to respond to the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ which the Holy Spirit brings right into our very midst.

The fire and wind of the Holy Spirit is at work here today; the fire and wind Holy Spirit is drawing ever so close to you.　 In your soul, can you feel the heat – even just a little?　 In your soul, can you feel the Spirit’s breeze beginning to blow, if ever so gently?　　 Dare open your life to the fire and wind of the Holy Spirit!

I pray that your life, my life and our lives together as a community of faith will be empowered by the fire and wind of the Holy Spirit.　　Amen.