Friday, August 12, 2011
Acts 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
RED: THE COLOR FOR FIRE AND ZEAL
Growing up out West it seemed like every summer we heard about forest fires. Northern Idaho would get its share and it was not unusual for firefighters to be called in from neighboring states to fight the flames. Most forest fires don't burn all that fast, but if the wind and other conditions are just right, they can tear through forests and fields very quickly at 3 or 4 miles an hour. If a fire team can't get a blaze under control, thousands and thousands of acres can be burned.
You've probably seen fire move quickly too. A house or building fire can eat up the structure very quickly. The famous San Francisco and Chicago fires burned homes and businesses to the ground in a hurry. Fires like that are like hungry animals devouring everything in their paths.
Fire: fast moving, burning bright, blazing across acres and miles -- perhaps that is why the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost chose to make His appearance in the form of flames that looked like fire. This would be fitting for the Holy Spirit because it is His special work to bring people to faith in Jesus through the word of God. Surely it was the case that the news of the Lord's resurrection and its meaning spread like wildfire throughout the Mediterranean and over to Europe in a short amount of time. All the while believers were being added to the Church.
Red is the color for fire and zeal signifying how the Holy Spirit "burns" His way into the hearts of many, turning them from unbelief to faith. Red is the color that reminds us how those early missionaries, with excitement, fervor, and zeal, carried the word of the Lord from Jerusalem out to all nations.
