Never let the fire in your heart go out. Keep it alive. Serve the Lord. Romans 12:11
It only takes a spark to get a fire burning, and soon all those around will warm up in its glowing; That’s how it is with God’s love..once you’ve experienced it, you spread your love to everyone; you want to pass it on. Kurt Kaiser
Years ago when our family served the Calhoun First Methodist Church, we had an incident occur on Ash Wednesday. The service was wrapping up, and Randy was at the altar speaking to those who had come to kneel in prayer. The sanctuary was dark, and the candles were providing the only light. It was quite a moving service. The kids and I were sitting in the balcony, and as I looked down, I saw a strange thing. Behind Randy there seemed to be a glow much like I would imagine the Holy Spirit. The odd thing about it was, every time Randy moved – it moved.
As the glow got brighter, I realized that the sleeve of his robe was the source of the glow. Just as I was making my way down to tell someone, I heard Randy say to a member, “Am I on fire?” She nodded her head, yes, and he urgently said, “Well, please put me out.” It turns out that a spark from the candle had ignited his robe.
It’s a fact that you can’t start a fire without a spark, and that it only takes a spark to get a fire burning. As we begin this Lenten season, my prayer is that we all receive that spark which leads to a fire and that we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
When we acquire this spirit, we will have an intercessor, a helper, and receive gifts of the Spirit. Usually, during the forty days of Lent, we speak of “giving up” something. Another suggestion would be to “take on” the task of praying to be ignited so that we can pass it on to others who need the Holy Spirit.
Wouldn’t that be an amazing concept that we are so excited and on fire as Christians that we have to ask others to “please, put out our fire”? We can be the sparks that ignite the fires all around us.
The good news about his story is that those of us in that community relived that moment, and it made that Lenten season more alive in all our hearts and minds as we sought to pass it on.
AMEN! What a Great Idea!
I plan to try to do it!
Every church needs a pastor who is “on fire”, but not literally ….
I remember those lyrics from a teen-choir I was in years ago, Who knew many moons later my former senior pastor would take those lyrics to a whole ‘nuther level in my mind 😂.
Yes, I will join you and others taking on the discipline of daily praying throughout lent to be ignited so that we can pass it on to others who need the Holy Spirit. Thank you Diane for another lovely post 💝