Sounds of the Wind

 

 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” *

 On frequent outings from our home in Springville, California to the coast, Al and I often visited different nurseries, looking at various displays of succulents, cactus and sometimes even orchids…a strange combination! Succulents and cactus survived well in the warmer climate of the central valley. Keeping the orchids alive was harder, but who could resist their beauty?

Wind chimes also caught our fancy. There was a nursery in Morro Bay that sold enormous ones, huge metallic fish supported by sturdy chains. Each metal sculpture was cut into sections that clanged together with the force of strong wind gusts.  Those chimes rang with deep tones.

Whenever in the area, we’d stop by just to see them, poking them discretely every so often to hear their deep tones. Al especially liked the metal chimes, but they were far out of our price range and too heavy for us to hang from the eaves, let alone carry…a job for a forklift!

 We did buy smaller chimes though to suspend from the rafters of the patio overhang and in the breezeway, making music pleasing to the ears whenever the wind would blow. The patio was a pleasant, shady place to sit and listen to the sound of the chimes. During the hot summer months, they reminded us of being at the beach.

After the house was sold, the wind chimes were packed away in a crate and put in the moving van along with our furniture and other belongings. Once we were settled in our new home, a local handyman named Freeland helped hang them along the west side of the house under the eaves.

“It’s the windy side,” he explained. “They’ll catch the wind here.” Freeland was right!

We soon found out that the frequent winds in Michigan were much too strong for the smaller, lighter ones Freeland had hung for us. One of the windchimes had to be taken down after the nylon string holding the tubes broke, causing it to fall apart.

That left a space on the corner of the roof  with an empty hook,  motivating Al to go shopping for a new one. I was amazed when he came home one day from a trip to the grocery store with a long, heavy box. He had stopped at a nursery on the way back.

What a surprise! It was a dandy of a wind chime, about five feet long and a foot in diameter. Much too large for the available spot. So, we had to switch to “Plan B.”

There was a strong metal hook attached underneath the overhang on the front porch which proved to be just right. Even with Al’s help from below, it was hard work fastening the heavy chime on the hook while standing on the ladder.

When the chime was finally swaying from the hook, it was quite impressive. A strong breeze was blowing that day and it wasn’t long before the deep tones could be heard from inside as well as outside the house.

As we think about Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was sent by God to empower the disciples, we think of the force of the wind…the effects of which can be both seen and heard even though the wind itself is invisible. Those people who had gathered together to pray after the resurrection of Jesus and His ascension into heaven heard the sound of a violent wind and saw tongues of fire filling the house.

The Holy Spirit enabled them to speak in languages they hadn’t learned, share the good news of Jesus with courage and boldness, perform miracles of healing and bring salvation to Jews and Gentiles alike. He used ordinary people who believed in Jesus in a powerful way and amazing things happened.

 Oh God, revive us. Work in us. Transform us and move us to change the world through the power of your Spirit! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

*Acts 2:1-4 NIV