Wind and fire are symbols of the Holy Spirit, symbols associated with God throughout the Bible. The word ‘breath’ and ‘wind’ are the same (ruach in Hebrew, pneuma in Greek) and it is not surprising that one of the first signs of the Spirit’s arrival on the Day of Pentecost was ‘a sound like the blowing of a violent wind…from heaven.’ (Acts 2:2) Just as God’s Spirit had come upon the valley of dry bones as Ezekiel prophesied, bringing new life from dead bones (Ezek 37:1-14), the Holy Spirit’s arrival is likened to the wind which cannot be seen but which can be felt and experienced (see also John 3:8), bringing new life and power to people.

Fire is a symbol of God’s appearances to mankind in the Old Testament. Moses experienced the wonder of the burning bush from which God spoke (Ex 3:1-22) and God guided His people through the wilderness by a pillar of fire at night (Ex 13:21). When the Law was given, Mount Sinai was covered in smoke because the Lord descended on it with fire. (Ex 19:18) Elijah saw the prophets of Baal defeated when the fire of God descended on his sacrifice. (1 Kings 18:24, 38-39) John the Baptist predicted that Jesus would baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:16). Jesus said that He had come to cast fire upon the earth (Luke 12:49). The final place of judgment is the lake that burns with fire forever and ever. No wonder the writer to the Hebrews tells us ‘our God is a consuming fire.’ (Heb 12:29) Fire symbolises purity, for the heat of fire consumes the dross, as well as zeal (we are required to be zealous for God rather than being cold or lukewarm.) It also brings light into our lives.

These two symbols, therefore, illustrate something of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. He is the wind who brings new life and who sweeps away all that is old and not of Him; He is the fire who purifies, brings light to us and inflames us with zeal. We simply can’t do without Him.

I’ve just welcomed my second granddaughter into the world, an event which could be summed up in the phrase ‘She’s here!’ After many long hours of labour, the news that she had safely arrived was a great blessing to me. Her arrival inevitably and irrevocably changes our lives and we are glad to be able to adapt and learn to live with her presence because she belongs to us in a very special way.

In the same way, the Holy Spirit’s arrival on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) irrevocably changed the disciples’ lives and His presence with us and in us provides the fuel for our Christian living (John 14:17, 1 Cor 6:19). His dramatic arrival – with the sound like a rushing wind and what seemed like tongues of fire resting on people’s heads (Acts 2:2-3) – on the Day of Pentecost (a festival celebrating the first harvest as well as being associated with the renewal of God’s covenant with Noah and Moses and the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai) can be said to be the birthday of the church – a time when the disciples stopped being simply a group of followers of Jesus and became, as He had prophesied, His witnesses to the entire world. (Acts 1:8)

The Holy Spirit had previously ‘rested’ on people (e.g. on Saul, 1 Sam 10:10; on leaders in Israel, Num 11:25). Jesus had even breathed on His disciples to receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), but the arrival of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost signified a new era, one which continues to this day.

Our everyday lives need to acknowledge and reflect the fact that the Holy Spirit is now here! Just as I can’t ignore my granddaughter’s arrival, but have to change how I live to take her into account, so we need to allow the Holy Spirit to fill us on a daily basis and change how we live, growing His fruit (character) in our lives. (Eph 5:18, Gal 5:22-23) He is God and we must seek not to grieve Him (Eph 4:30) or quench Him (1 Thess 5:19). Instead, we need to learn to walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16) and witness to Jesus through the words He gives (Luke 11:11-12).

One of the first words my older granddaughter learned (way before giving me a name) was ‘more!’ Coupled with ‘again!’, these are key words in a toddler’s vocabulary. She is gradually learning the value of manners (‘more, please!‘), but this desire for repetition (often to the point of mind-numbing boredom on the adult’s part – how many ‘Wheels on the Bus‘ videos can there be?!) is a key factor in the the child’s learning armoury. The endless repetition of games and puzzles (she will complete a puzzle and instantly pull it to pieces and do it again or want to read a favourite page of a book over and over again) is the way children learn skills and meanings.

Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible, is so called because it means ‘second law’. In it, Moses ‘proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them.’ (Deut 1:3) East of the Jordan, he began to expound (explain, set forth) the law. (Deut 1:5)

We may feel, as we’ve ploughed through the giving of the law in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers that we don’t need a ‘second law’, that the familiarity of some of this is boring, that we want to move swiftly on to the action of the battles in Jericho. As adults, we tend to avoid repetition, flitting like butterflies from one thing to another as ‘proof’ of our development.

Psychologists tell us, however, that habits are formed through continuous repetition; few skills are automatic or instinctive, but must be learned. God, in His wisdom, gives us a second chance to absorb the law in the book of Deuteronomy. It behoves us to pause and digest it, noticing fresh aspects, new nuances, different facets, rather than rushing ahead of ourselves.

A teacher knows that learning involves setting forth a new truth, giving pupils the time to work on this independently to check understanding and then recapping what has been covered to reinforce its truth. Deuteronomy is the ‘recapping’, the summary (albeit a long one!), the driving home of all we’ve absorbed so far. As such, it’s a vital part of our understanding and spiritual growth.

Stephen spoke tonight about the character of the Holy Spirit and how He is the only way we can be successful in our Christian lives. So often, we try to live in our own strength. We may be physically strong or mentally dexterous; we may have many skills and talents, but ultimately, we cannot achieve spiritual goals unless we depend on God’s power through His Spirit.

Often, we hold back from taking on a role in the church or in life because we feel incompetent or inadequate to fulfil this task, but that is to fail to realise how God uses the vulnerable, weak and foolish to achieve His aims. 1 Cor 1:25 reminds us that the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness o God is stronger than human strength. We may hold back because we feel exposed or just stupid doing what God has said, but we need to realise that the Holy Spirit is available to help all of us. He makes the immeasurable difference to our lives, inspiring us and changing us.

Paul told the Corinthians that he often felt weak and fearful, but operated in the power of the Holy Spirit, accessing His strength, wisdom and knowledge. (1 Cor 2:1-5). The call is to be like Paul, not necessarily in what we do but in how we live our lives – being dependent on God’s Holy Spirit, who helps us (1 Cor 2:13-16).

God has always used the most unlikely of people to do His work; He specialises in ‘unlikely lads’, so to speak! The challenge is for us to use what God has given us, to do it, to live it… in and through Christ, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit as we live.

Today is Mothers’ Day in the UK and Dave spoke this morning on the question ‘What is a mother?’ As a man, he said this was a thorny question to tackle; the dictionary definition (a woman who has given birth to a child) not encompassing the way a woman can be like a mother to people even if she has not had children herself. A mother is someone who shows unconditional love for her child, who understands all about sacrifice and patience and hard work and who does not necessarily get the recognition or respect she deserves. Motherhood is all-embracing and exhausting, from the long hours of labour to the years of devotion freely offered. In the early years, it’s easy for a mother to lose her sense of identity, but most would say it is worth the helplessness, tiredness and sense of hopelessness that can often punctuate the crises of the job!

In Isaiah 49;15, we see that God describes Himself as a mother. Just as a mother cannot forget the baby at her breast, so God cannot forget us. We can be just as noisy, demanding, rebellious, energetic, curious and frustrating to Him as to our own mothers, but He loves us unconditionally. His love can be measured in the fact that He sacrificed His own Son for us. We often think of God as ‘our Father’, but He is also a mother to us and His tenderness, compassion and understanding can form the bedrock of our lives.