FIRE TO WITNESS - PENTECOST SERMON 2021 (Day 5)

Notes taken from sermon by Rev Fr Colin Tan, SJ

Day 5 of Pentecost Novena 2021 (SACCRE)

- FIRE TO WITNESS

 

When someone is on fire it means he is energetic, full of life and vigour and all out to devour anyone who stands in his path.

 We also know fire is the symbol of the presence of God among his people.

John 15:26-27  ...when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.

Jesus invites us to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, to be on fire with the presence of God in our daily life, so that we can bear witness to him.

He calls us to bear witness to 3 things:

 (1) The Truth

• The strategy of how evil works in our world - evil distorts, deceives, delays, divert and destroy the truth. 
• For us to know the truth, we need to be discerning, to pray for wisdom and to live out and practice truth in our daily life.

(2) The living presence of God

• To be aware of the living presence of God
• The more we recognise God's actions in our lives, the more we can learn to let him act in , for and with us. 
• Our job is to get out of the way, and not be an obstacle to his plan for salvation.

(3)    The glory of God

• We glorify God by our lives, by showing our gratitude and praise for all the good we have received
• The glory of God is a person fully alive, to be in the world and not of the world. 

Let us not be afraid to be on fire for the love of God, only then can we share the truth, the living presence and the glory of God.  Let us not be afraid to live fully as Christians who are on fire and to be witnesses of our living God.