Earth, Wind, & Fire

Altar Frontal, Wells Cathedral UK

I wonder if Earth, Wind, & Fire ... the 70's R&B, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Disco, Rock, Pop, Latin, African, Gospel band ... got their name from Acts 2. All the variables are the same. The Holy Spirit came to earth falling upon the waiting, watching, praying followers of Jesus. He opened their ears in the sound of the rushing wind and ignited their hearts with the flame of fire. And, the result was that each one received a gift to speak another tongue or language ... a kind of music? ... so that all the nations of the world gathered in Jerusalem would hear the saving message of Jesus Christ.

Those in Jerusalem that day experienced the first fruits of God's harvest. (50 days after Passover was the Feast of Pentecost ... the Feast of First Fruits, the first harvest of wheat.) They were the first fruits! The power of Peter's words ... the power of the disciples' obedience to be available, to speak the word of God (prophesy) ... harvested the first fruits of those who believed in Jesus Christ. 3,000 people came to know Christ that day.

And, then they went home to their homes ... scattered into all the nations of the world. They took with them the Good News of Great Joy ... a new song ... that Jesus Christ has delivered us from sin, that God has forgiven us covering us in Jesus' righteousness, and through Jesus ... the ruler of this world is defeated. Defeated! Jesus is victorious! They sang the New Song of Great Joy in every language and every tongue ... and the world was lit on fire with the Holy Spirit ... in R&B, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Disco, Rock, Pop, Latin, African, Gospel ... OK, and Classical, Country, Opera, Grunge, Lullaby, Choral, Chant ... in essence World Music!

What is your song that the Holy Spirit wants to sing through you? And, where does He want you to sing it? It makes me smile to think about how the world is being lit by the Holy Spirit's fire through our song of Good News of Great Joy ... Jesus our Savior and Friend.

AMEN!