Usually, wind + fire = disaster. In God’s hands, wind + fire = Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:2-4 (CEB)
Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
We call it Pentecost.
Fire, used properly, is a blessing. We could say it is a gift from God.
“Thou fire so masterful and bright,
that givest man both warmth and light,
O praise him, O praise him,
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!”
St. Francis of Assisi, 1225
Paraphrase: William Draper, 1919
I remember this verse from All Creatures of Our God and King when I cozy up to our wood stove on a cold winter’s night.
The fire praises its Maker. Let’s do likewise. 
My little corner of the world just experienced a three-day brush fire. I’m grateful that firefighters, first responders and God’s downpour kept everyone safe.
Set me to thinking about fire’s destructive power. It brings to mind God’s judgment.
1 Corinthians 3:13 (TLB)
There is going to come a time of testing at Christ’s Judgment Day to see what kind of material each builder has used. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire so that all can see whether or not it keeps its value, and what was really accomplished.
What works of my hands, I wonder, will survive God’s fire?
Acts 1:4 (NIV)
Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift
my Father promised.
Waiting on the Lord, for the promise given;
Waiting on the Lord, to send from Heaven;
Waiting on the Lord, by our faith receiving.
. . .
Waiting on the Lord, longing to mount higher;
Waiting on the Lord, having great desire;
Waiting on the Lord, for the heav’nly fire.
Charles F. Weigle, 1903
What about you? Are you like the disciples, waiting in faith? Are you waiting on the Lord with great desire, trusting His promises? 
Jesus told His disciples to wait.
Acts 1:4-5 (NIV)
“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
The instructions were short on details. I don’t think they knew what to expect. Nevertheless, they waited.
It still happens that way. We wait on God, not sure what’s next.
Here I am, Lord, waiting. Go ahead, surprise me. 
Lent is a season of preparation. Pentecost (50 days) is a season of waiting. It is tied to the Jewish feast of Shavuot, seven weeks after Passover, marking the wheat harvest.
In Acts, we learn that Jesus met with his disciples several times in the 40 days after his resurrection. Before He ascended to heaven, He told them to wait.
Acts 1:4 (NASB)
Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised.
As farmers eagerly wait for harvest, the disciples waited for the Spirit.
How about you? Are you prepared to wait? 
This is the message of the resurrection:
Love wins.
Indeed, God’s love wins.
John 3:16 (ESV)
For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 47:1 (NIV)
Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.
Hallelujah!
“Ah Christians, ring the bells of your hearts, fire the salute of your most joyous songs . . . Dance, O my heart, and ring out peals of gladness!” Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)
