Pre-Pentecost

Too much for just one sermon snippet:
Acts 2:1-21 for Pentecost

"...The fire teaches us that some things must be turned to ash

for new things to rise up.

The fire teaches us that some ideas and traditions are

best used as fuel for creating what comes next.

The fire teaches us that tiny green buds will find a way

through thick, dry ash after every forest fire.

The fire of Pentecost frightens us out of worrying and wondering

what we do now that Jesus has gone away.

The fire of Pentecost puts words in our mouths

before we’ve considered if they’re divine or drunk.

The fire of Pentecost reminds us that what is most

powerful and passionate within us is the same

mysterious spark of creativity that can spin our lives out of control.

We are infinitely complex creatures, and what is our up-building can

next be our un-doing.

Our convictions that give us purpose and focus

can grow into elitism that gets in the way of our

listening to and learning from others.

Our single-mindedness that helps us get things done

can rage into obsessions that keep us from

building relationships or trusting others.

We need fire – we need the spark, the heat, the power.

We need passion and conviction and focus.

And we can have too much of any good thing.

The ones who speak in tongues at 9am due to mental or chemical illness

remind us that the line between passion and obsession is thin,

and it can shift..."

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