The Fire, The Wind, The Water

a dramatic reading for Pentecost
[ three voices ]

A

The fire

B

the wind

C

the water

A

The liberation of God’s people began with

C

the burning of a flame

B

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of firePsalm 29.7

A

Moses led his flock beyond the wilderness
and came to Horeb
the mountain of God
There the angel of the LORD appeared to him
in a flame of fire out of a bushExodus 3.1,2

B

Is not my word like fire
and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?Jeremiah 23.29

A

He looked, and the bush was blazing
yet it was not consumed Exodus 3.2

C

The voice of the Lord shakes the wildernessPsalm 29.8

pause

A

The liberation of God’s people began with fire

C

and with wind

A

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning
as well as a thick cloud on the mountain

B

and a blast of a trumpet so loud
that all the people who were in the camp trembled

A

Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God
They took their stand at the foot of the mountainExodus 19.16,17

C

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of firePsalm 29.7

A

Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke
because the LORD had descended upon it in fire

B

the smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln
while the whole mountain shook violently

C

As the blast of the trumpet grew louder and louder
Moses would speak
and God would answer him in thunderExodus 19.18,19

pause

A

God’s people remembered their liberation out of Egypt
in the celebration of three festivals

B

Passover, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread

A

Shavuot, or Pentecost

C

and the Feast of Tabernacles

A

For God had said

C

“Three times in the year you shall hold a festival for me

B

You shall observe the feast of Passover
which marks the first spring harvest

C

You shall observe Pentecost
when you give thanks for the harvest of wheat

B

and remember the giving of the Law

C

You shall observe the feast of Tabernacles
at the end of the harvest

B

when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labour
and remember the years of wandering in the wilderness

A

These are the three times in the year
when all your males
shall appear before the Lord God”Exodus 23.14-17

pause

C

The fire, the wind

B

The water

C

The book of the Acts of the Apostles
opens with these words

A

After his suffering
Jesus presented himself alive to the apostles
by many convincing proofs
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God
While staying with them
he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem
but to wait there for the promise of the FatherActs 1.2,3

A

to stay in the city
until they have been clothed with power from on highLuke 24.49

B

“This is what you have heard from me
for John baptized with water
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit
not many days from now”Acts 1.4,5

A

When the day of Pentecost had come
they were all together in one placeActs 2.1

C

You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain
while it blazed with fire to the heavens
with black clouds and deep darknessDeuteronomy 4.11

B

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of firePsalm 29.7

A

And suddenly from heaven there came a sound
like the rush of a violent windActs 2.2

C

He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants
Psalm 104.4

A

and it filled the entire house where they were sittingActs 2.2

B

And anything else that can withstand fire
must be put through the fire,
and then it will be clean

C

But it must also be purified with the water of cleansingNumbers 31.23

A

Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them
and a tongue rested on each of themActs 2.3

B

Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire
as you have
and lived?Deuteronomy 4.23

A

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in other languages
as the Spirit gave them abilityActs 2.4

pause

C

The fire

B

the wind

A

the water

C takes first step forward

A

And the events of Pentecost were like a reversal
of the events of the Tower of Babel

C

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
living in Jerusalem. Acts 2.5

B

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words
And as they migrated from the east,
they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar
and settled theregenesis 11.1,2

C

And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered
because each one heard them speaking
in the native language of each Acts 2.6

B

And they said to one another,
“Come, let us build ourselves a city
and a tower with its top in the heavens
and let us make a name for ourselves
Otherwise we shall be scattered abroad
upon the face of the whole earth”genesis 11.3,4

C

Amazed and astonished, they asked
“Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
And how is it that we hear
each of us, in our own native language?
Germans, Swedes, Palestinians, and residents of Moscow
Geneva and Beijing, Pretoria and Cairo, France and Indonesia
Egypt and Libya, visitors from ...Acts 2.7-10

B interrupts

B

The LORD came down to see the city and the tower
which mortals had built
And the LORD said
“Let us go down, and confuse their language there
so that they will not understand
one another’s speech” genesis 11.5,7

C

“In our own languages
we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power” genesis 2.11

B

So the LORD scattered them abroad
from there over the face of all the earth
and they left off building the citygenesis 11.8

B and C return to original positions

A

All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another

C

“What does this mean?”

A

But others sneered and said

C

“They are filled with new wine”

A

But Peter, standing with the eleven
raised his voice and addressed them

A and B exchange positions

B

“Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem
let this be known to you, and listen to what I say
Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose
for it is only nine o’clock in the morningActs 2.12-15

C

The fire

A

the wind, the water

B

This is what was spoken through the prophet Joel
‘In the last days it will be, God declares
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh’ Joel 2.28

C

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvationisaiah 12.3

A

Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living waterjohn 7.38

B

‘And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy
and your young men shall see visions
and your old men shall dream dreams
Even upon my slaves, both men and women
in those days I will pour out my Spirit’Joel 2.28,29

C

Those who drink of the water that I will give them
will never be thirsty

A

The water that I give will become a spring of water
gushing up to eternal lifejohn 4.14

B

‘And they shall prophesy
And I will show signs in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below
blood, and fire
and smoky mist

C

The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
shall be saved.’ Joel 2.30-32

B

“You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say
Jesus of Nazareth
a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders,
and signs that God did through him among you
— this man
handed over to you
according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God
you crucified and killed
by the hands of those outside the law”Acts 2.22,23

C

And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication
on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem

A

so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced
they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child
and weep bitterly over him
as one weeps over a firstbornzecharaiah 12.10

C

On that day a fountain shall be opened
for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
to cleanse them from sin and impurity

B

“This Jesus God raised up
and of that all of us are witnesses
Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God
and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit
he has poured out this that you both see and hear”Acts 2.32,33

C

And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication
on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalemzecharaiah 12.10

B

“Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty
that God has made him both Lord and Messiah
this Jesus whom you crucified”Acts 2.36

A

Now when they heard this
they were cut to the heart
and said to Peter and to the other apostles

C

“Brothers, what should we do?”

A

Peter said to them

B

“Repent
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
so that your sins may be forgiven
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
For the promise is for you
for your children
and for all who are far away
everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him” acts 2.37-39

C

I will give them one heart
and put a new spirit within them
I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh
and give them a heart of fleshezekiel 11.19

A

And he testified with many other arguments
and exhorted them, saying

B

“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation” Acts 2.37-40

C

Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees
and every tree that does not bear good fruit
is cut down and thrown into the fire luke 3.9

A

The fire, the wind, the water

[A and B return to original positions]

A

So those who welcomed his message were baptized
and that day about three thousand persons were added
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship
to the breaking of bread
and the prayers

B

Awe came upon everyone
because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles

A

All who believed were together and had all things in common
they would sell their possessions and goods
and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had needacts 2.41-45

C

Each man will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm

B

like streams of water in the desert
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty landisaiah 32.2

A

Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple

C

they broke bread at home
and ate their food with glad and generous hearts

B

praising God and having the goodwill of all the peopleacts 2.46,47a

C

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation isaiah 12.3

B

And day by day the Lord added to their number those
who were being savedacts 2.47b