Pentecost celebrates the coming of God’s Spirit of love into His Church. How could you explain the love of God to someone who does not know Him? How can we ourselves, as Christian disciples, understand the love of God, as incomprehensible as it is? God’s love has been described in Scripture in various ways; particularly as water, fire, and wind.
God’s love is like water. Jesus said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39). At Pentecost, the disciples received the Holy Spirit, filling them with God’s love: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
God’s love is like fire. God appears as fire repeatedly in the Bible: the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-3), the pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21), on a throne “ablaze with flames” (Daniel 7:9), as a holy fire: “indeed our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit appeared as fire: “Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:3).
God’s love is like driving wind. Jesus described the Holy Spirit as wind: “The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to” (John 3:8). At Pentecost, God’s love rushed into the upper room as a wind: “And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were” (Acts 2:2). The breath of life filled the Church just as it filled Adam’s lungs (Genesis 2:7). Jesus breathed life and power into His apostles: “…he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained’” (John 20:22-23).
Come Holy Spirit, wash me with Your water and let your love overflow in me. Light my heart with your flame of love. Breathe on me and spread the fire of Your love to others.