Pastor Mark Dippre’s Reflection

Reflection on the Gift of Pentecost

Every year one of the greatest Church celebrations is that of Pentecost. It is considered the birthday of the Church and what we have come to know as authentic worship. We strive to do it up big with some fun. We ask people to wear red shirts, we sing some of the greatest worship songs, and in the end, as the tradition goes, we shoot off confetti cannons so that we feel the power of God’s Spirit raining down on us. To be honest with you, Pentecost is one of the greatest highlights for me as a Pastor to share with such a wonderful community.

Many years ago, I was preaching on Pentecost and came up with a wonderful idea. I explained what happened at that first Pentecost. The disciples were gathered in an upper room living in fear. Now the risen Lord had appeared to them many times over and over again and showed them that He conquered sin and death forever. Even with all those miracle accounts of the resurrection, they remained in an upper room, behind locked doors. That was all about to change, with the power of the HOLY SPIRIT. It says in the scripture that the wind of the spirit blew so hard, that it shattered the locks and broke down the door. Then a flame of fire came in and hovered over every one of the disciples and started to set them on fire. Then I shared that while growing up with some brothers, I had been set on fire before. You do not stand still! You run out and proclaim so that everyone knows that you are on FIRE!

Just then, it happened. In a packed church, a little boy stood up and in a very loud voice, said “YOU’RE WRONG! You do not run when you are on fire. You stop, drop and roll.”

There was a hush throughout the church, and then lots of laughter.

How great was it that in the front row of the Church was a little boy who was the son of a great fire fighter? His dad was smiling from ear to ear that his son had taken this important message to heart?  Stop, drop, and roll.

As a Pastor, I understood that now I had to quickly figure out how I was going to work this four-word saying into my preaching. It was there that I remembered that God speaks to us in many ways.

Pentecost calls us to STOP from our daily routines. We are called to come and worship the Lord. Worship is described as the heartbeat of life for all believers. It is what sustains us and gives us life. Authentic worship allows us to get a taste of what Heaven is and to join the angels in wonder and awe for the splendor of our King.

In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that worshipers from all over the world gathered in one accord giving praise, honor, and glory to God. There were no barriers that separated them, no agendas, or political motivations. They stood side by side singing and praising God, united by the gift of His amazing love. This Pentecost, we should STOP and get back to the heart of worship as all believers are called to do.

If we are worshiping, then the second step is easy. We need to DROP to our knees and pray. As believers, we need to understand and believe that we are nothing without the love of God in our lives. Out of pure love, He has made us in the image and likeness of the perfect King. When we surrender our very selves, we realize and come to believe that we are blessed by God and get absorbed in His love. This Pentecost is a time for all of us to DROP to our knees in prayer, worship, and praise to the amazing love of God.

With understanding that Pentecost calls us to STOP and DROP, we also need to ROLL. As authentic believers, God has commissioned us to go forth proclaiming the Good News that on Easter Sunday morning, we witnessed what the early disciples did. The stone was ROLLED away and Jesus is risen and alive. To be a Christian means that we believe with enthusiastic hearts, and celebrate with true worship the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord.

My prayer is that Pentecost is not just a one-time event, but that this year, we allow the Holy Spirit to make us true believers and do as all Christians on fire for the love of God do — STOP, DROP and ROLL, so that His love is made known to all.