{"id":1309,"date":"2019-04-25T13:15:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-25T19:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/worship\/?p=1309"},"modified":"2019-04-25T13:15:00","modified_gmt":"2019-04-25T19:15:00","slug":"the-fire-of-your-love-worship-visuals-for-pentecost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/worship\/1309\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fire of Your Love: Worship Visuals for Pentecost"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s post is by Linda Witte Henke, <\/em>an artist specializing in liturgically purposed art for congregation, synod, and churchwide settings (See three new collections of print-on-demand banner fabrics at www.lindahenke.com). <\/em>This is Linda\u2019s third post offering designs and templates for using visuals to enrich worship.<\/em><\/p>\n

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In anticipation of this post, I spent time during a recent 1,500-mile train trip ruminating on what visual might best convey the essence of the Holy Spirit\u2019s appearance at Pentecost.<\/p>\n

I recalled some of the biblical stories about fire and how those might inform our appreciation of the Holy Spirit\u2019s appearance at Pentecost in fire and flame\u2014<\/span>Moses\u2019 encounter with God in the fiery bush (Exodus 3), God\u2019s guiding presence made known to the Hebrew people in the pillars of cloud and fire (Exodus 13), the voice of God coming out of the fire (Deuteronomy 5), Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego miraculously surviving the furnace of blazing fire (Daniel 1-3), and John the Baptizer\u2019s warnings about the unquenchable fire (Matthew 3).<\/p>\n

I also pondered human experiences of fire, both in ancient days and in our own. I reflected on how the Holy Spirit provides light for God\u2019s people, generates warmth among God\u2019s people, refines the visions and ministries of God\u2019s people, and, yes, sometimes consumes or leaves a path of destruction among God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n

At some point, I was prompted to ask: In the Prayer of the Day for Pentecost, when we implore God to \u201cby your Holy Spirit, kindle in us the fire of your love, empowering our lives for service and our tongues for praise,\u201d for what are we praying? I suspect that, in many cases, we are praying that God\u2019s Spirit would support and sustain whatever visions and ministries have already been conceived and put into place within our faith communities.<\/p>\n

But what if we lifted our prayers with hearts wide open to receiving the fire of God\u2019s Holy Spirit in whatever powerfully expressive ways the Spirit chooses to be made known?\"\"<\/p>\n