World on fire

Sunday 31 May 2020 was Pentecost Sunday. On the day when Christians celebrate the moving of God's Spirit in fire and wind parts of our world were literally on fire. Anger following the death of George Floyd six days earlier brought civil unrest to the USA. Over the weekend protesters took to the streets in of London, Cardiff and Manchester. In the wake of a killing believed by many to be the result of racial prejudice, frustration and anger led to the flouting of rules and restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19. While in Britain the protests were largely peaceful, the streets of many American cities continue to burn.

Pentecost Sunday this year was a subdued affair. There were no services of celebration. The Ecumenical gatherings and large events that have become common in recent years did not take place. No visible signs of God's Spirit moving among believers as happened on a distant day in Jerusalem were apparent.

Yet God is still at work. Despite the closure of churches and the banning of larger events Christian communities continue not only to pray but to live out the faith passed down through the centuries. In acts of kindness, in the daily work to which each is called, in family and community life, God's spirit is at work.

Pentecost is just one day. It is what happens next that might just set the world on fire.