Pentecost 2024

 If you have been following the Thy Kingdom Come devotions online or on the Women’s Ministry blog of the Diocese of the Rio Grande, you will have explored many definitions of God. The God who loves/saves/heals/creates, etc. Yesterday was The God Who Empowers with the familiar image of the Holy Spirit as a dove (done by the Rev. Chris Duffett for TKC).

On Pentecost, the followers of the Risen Christ experienced a different manifestation of the Spirit. Flames as of fire appeared and rested on each of them. That must have been a startling and awe-filled moment. It transformed a motley group of mostly uneducated men and women into fearless evangelists. Peter immediately went outside and started preaching. As we saw last week, this is the same man, who less than two months earlier had denied knowing Jesus.

John Wesley tells in his journal of his experience with the Spirit. “In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

Have you ever experienced the Holy Spirit in your heart? Do you relate more to dove or fire or warmed heart or something else.  

In the Gospel for today, (John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15) Jesus tells his disciples, When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you…When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 

The Greek word translated as ‘Advocate’ is parakletos means someone who pleads a case (advocate or intercessor). It can also mean a helper or assistant, or someone who comes along side us. The Holy Spirit not only advocates for us, but is on our side and with us always. At Pentecost the Advocate/ Companion/ Helper (Holy Spirit) came to the followers powerfully and they began to tell what they knew about Jsus. However, as Jesus noted, it was not simply men and women speaking, but God’s Spirit was giving them the words to say.

Can you remember a time when you didn’t know what to say in a situation and then when you opened your mouth, you were inspired?

Next week starts “Ordinary Time,” the long church season between Pentecost and Advent. I’ll be looking at some of Jesus’ Parables to see what they might teach us about living in 2024.

Pentecost: Change the World

Since Easter we’ve been looking at the various kinds of Change required by Easter. The Resurrection of Jesus changed the paradigm of the world, even though few noticed. Hearts and outlooks were renewed. The vision of mission was redefined. Last week we heard Jesus tell his followers to stay in Jerusalem until the coming of the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost we celebrate that amazing event. The Holy Spirit didn’t just ‘happen’ at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has been active since the beginning. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-2)

Pentecost isn’t a celebration that is the creation of the Christian church. Like many of our feasts, it has its roots in Judaism. The Jewish feast of Pentecost/Shavuot came 50 days (pente means 50) after Passover. It celebrates the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mt. Sinai; and is also linked to the agricultural heritage by celebrating the ‘first fruits’ of the fields. A Jewish explanation of Shavuot (Pentecost) notes that it is the GIVING of the Torah to Moses and the people that is celebrated. “giving of the Torah on Shavu'ot redeemed us spiritually from our bondage to idolatry and immorality…We are constantly in the process of receiving the Torah, that we receive it every day, but it was first given at this time. Thus it is the giving, not the receiving, that makes this holiday significant.”

In Acts 2 we learn, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”

The Jewish celebration of Shavu’ot reminds the Jewish people that they are constantly receiving the Torah-the word of God. Pentecost, likewise reminds us that the Holy Spirit is continually being given to each of us. We are inspired and encouraged and empowered by the Spirit of the Living God. Jesus promised, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” (John 14:15-17)

The Holy Spirit, as Paul later says, “helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)

The coming of the Holy Spirit was not a one-time, dramatic occurrence that only those in the Upper Room in Jerusalem experienced. The Holy Spirit is ongoing and always with us. We just have to be aware and willing to let the Spirit of God act.

How will the Holy Spirit act in your life this Pentecost season? What is God whispering in your ear and calling you to do? Is there a change of heart, outlook, mission or something else the Holy Spirit is urging you toward?

The Gifts of the Spirit

This fall we have been looking at some of the various aspects of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit is the promised Advocate or Helper that Jesus promised to his disciples at the Last Supper (John 14). God has given us the Spirit to live in us. This Spirit is still acting in our lives. We may not be aware and call something a coincidence or synchronicity. In reality, it is God working in our lives through the living Spirit to renew, empower, sanctify, comfort, and help us discern things. This results is the fruits of the Spirit that we looked at last week. The same Spirit also gives us ‘gifts’ that help us encourage and strengthen one another in our life work and play. (Fruits of the Spirit are attributes of our personality and Gifts of the Spirit are things that we do because of the Spirit working in us.)

In the First Letter to the Corinthians, we are told, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

The Holy Spirit of God ‘activates’ the gifts as is individually and corporately needed. As the graphic says, a spiritual gift is “an ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in love to build up the church.” Using our gifts in Love is the key

I Corinthians 13 goes on to expound the best gift of the Spirit, which is indeed love. “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13)

As we’ve seen in our fall meditations, the Spirit is a gift from God, promised by Jesus. The Spirit of the Living God is active in our lives to help us live out the Great Commandment to “love one another”. The Spirit gives us courage and strength to live into our ministry and life in community and in love.

Think about how each of the gifts of the Spirit is a manifestation of love. How can we allow the Spirit to help us more fully live out the mandate to Love one another?

Is there something you can do today or this week to make I Corinthians 13 visible in your life?

Next week we’ll enter Advent and do an interesting contemplation of what Matthew Fox calls Original Blessing. He calls this the way of the Via Positiva, Via Negativa, Via  Creativa, and Via Transformativa. We’ll look at how some familiar Christmas story participants experienced these 4 parts of God’s love.

The Spirit Who Gifts Us

Last time we considered how the Wisdom, the Holy Spirit, of God helps us to discern our path by guiding us when we ask. When we are directed by God’s Spirit, we will be given gifts to help us do the work of God and bring about the Kingdom. Jesus tells his disciples that “I do not call you servants…I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. So whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you.” (John 15: 15-16)

As descendants of the disciples, we are inheritors of that same promise. You see lots of commercials on TV about getting your DNA tested to find out what ethnic background you are from. Our spiritual ethnic background is clear. We have the same DNA as our Father and Brother. That means we are royalty, and we have spiritual gifts. In fairy tales, often the hero or heroine is given something special which they must not lose. We also have been given something extra special, and we cannot lose it because it is an eternal gift from our loving God.

We are gifted by the Spirit in precisely the right way for our situation. The Holy Spirit gives us exactly the right gifts to do the service and act in the way that God created us for. As the 1 Corinthians citation notes, “All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.” Furthermore, the gifts we have right now are the ones we need right now! That’s a helpful thing to remember when it seems like we are in over our head or asked to do something we don’t think we can do.

In 1 Corinthians 12, we are told, “Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.” (I Corinthians 12:3-11)

Matthew Fox in his book Original Blessing reminds us that we are queens and kings in the Kingdom of God. We are direct heirs of the King of kings. Therefore, as Madeline L’Engle says, we are ‘co-creators with God’. It is the Spirit that works in us so that we are aware and so we can participate in the work of God. Recently I read Believing God by Beth Moore. She suggests that we remember 5 important things about God’s work in our lives:

God is who He says He is. 

God can do what He says He can do.

I am who God says I am.

I can do all things through Christ.

God’s Word is alive and active in me.

When we remember that we are daughters and sons of God, and that we are meant to work with God to bring about the Kingdom, it can change our attitude. If we are prophets, priests, royalty (and we are) then we ought to act in that way. We need not fear because God is in charge. The words of Jesus in Luke 12, “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father’s is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourself with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven” (Luke 12:31-33) take on a deeper meaning. Our Father is pleased to give us the kingdom. Therefore, we can work for the good of the Kingdom without worrying about what ‘people might think’, or that we could fail. We are assured that we have the Gifts necessary for doing the work right now!

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by what you feel God is asking you to do? Is it reassuring to know that the Holy Spirit has given you just the right gifts for the job?

How does the idea of being a co-creator with God to bring about the Kingdom make you feel?

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll take a brief break to look at the way culture and the church honor the saints, those who live and use their gifts, before concluding this series by considering some of the specific spiritual gifts and why they are needed in the church. 

The Spirit Who Gives Discernment

Over these past several weeks, we’ve looked at ways the Holy Spirit works in and through our lives. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and is often rather brushed over in our western culture. In eastern tradition, the Spirit is related to Sophia, the Wisdom of God, which is from the beginning and infuses all life. That Wisdom helps us to make decisions and to discern what to do and say and be.

Discern is a word not used in every day talk. Yet it is something that we practice every day. The word comes from discernere, formed from two Latin words dis (apart) and cernere (to separate). Discernment happens when we look at all the pieces of a decision or an idea or plan in order to see if it will work. Mostly we do this unconsciously, without specifically listing all the pros and cons of something. I might discern that I want the red dress and brown shoes because I’ve decided/discerned in the synapsis of my brain that they would look better together than the orange dress and red shoes. Sometimes we do make lists of pros and cons to help us decide what to do about a major life change. In all decisions the Spirit of God is present, even if we don’t think about that.

In I Corinthians, we are reminded, “these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are discerned spiritually. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny. ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:10-16)

In this letter, Paul is telling the Corinthians that all things are revealed by the Spirit, “so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God”. How often do we really stop and think about our day to day actions as being inspired by God? We tend to think that we are autonomous and in control of what we do and where we go. With God’s free will that is true. On the other hand, when we offer our life to God in prayer we may discern that there is a different plan.

Have you ever looked back over your life and marveled at the way God has worked? I am constantly amazed at how just the right job came along at the right time, or how the exact amount needed to pay a bill arrived, or how a friend ‘happened’ to call or write and say just the right words.

Through the Spirit of God we “have the mind of Christ”, Paul says. That mindset helps us discern and see the hand of God in our life and to discern what we should do to further the Kingdom. We have “received…the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God”. The gifts given us by God may or may not be grand, and may not bring fame, but they are exactly the gifts needed by you and me, where we are on our faith journey.

The Holy Spirit, God's Wisdom can help us discern what the next step is on the the path. All we need to do is ask. As the graphic from Jude 1:20 advises, we should Pray in the Spirit in order to build up our faith. 

Consider asking God to help you understand and discern the work of the Spirit in your life.

Take time to look back over your life and see where God has acted. One way is via ‘stepping stones’. Break your life timeline into 5 or 10 year segments and note the God highlights of each period. You will find that God has been providing discernment for you all along. 

The Spirit Who Comforts

For the past month we’ve been talking about ways the Holy Spirit of God works in our lives. It is the Spirit that Regenerates our souls, Acts in our lives to Empower and Sanctify our work. The Holy Spirit also comforts and gives us joy as we go about our day-to-day lives, which sometimes seem to be filled with troubles.

It can be easy to get trapped in the cycle of looking at everything from a negative viewpoint. “Government is corrupt”, “School is too hard”, “The world has gone crazy with violence”…the list goes on and on. It can get longer each time we watch the news, too. We can start to believe “Nobody cares about me or my problems”. This is not the attitude Jesus promised to his followers.

If we are able to look at life through the eyes of the Holy Spirit, we might discover that there is a silver lining to all those clouds. Jesus says “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” (John 14:16-21)

Notice that Jesus repeats that we are not ‘orphaned’, not left alone in this world to fend for ourselves. He goes on to say that “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them” This raises the question with Judas (not Iscariot), and with us “Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” (John 14: 21-26)

It is the Holy Spirit that will be with and within us to teach us, comfort us, and bring us joy as we live our lives in relationship with God. In fact Paul’s Letter to the Romans tells us that “For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17)

Since we have these promises from the Lord of Life we can be free from the fears and sins that try to drag us down. In Hebrews 12:1-2, we are encouraged by the promise that we are not alone. Not only do we have the Holy Spirit, we also “are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

With the Holy Spirit and other witnesses of the work of God, we can allow the comfort and joy of the Holy Spirit to live in us and overflow in our interactions with each other. God’s promise is that the Spirit of God will live in us and that can offer comfort in troubling times.

Sometimes there are pieces of music or special verses that help remind you of the promises of God. The coloring panel is one of my favorite ones. It would make a nice bookmark for your Bible or devotional. One of my favorite songs is I Will NeverForget You My People, which repeats the promise to ‘not leave you orphans’.   

What is your favorite Bible verse or song that reminds you of the promises of God?

Is there something you can do today to remind yourself of the presence of God’s joy and comfort in your life?

The Spirit Who Sanctifies

Last time we looked at how the Holy Spirit Empowers us to live free of fear through discipline and through the advocacy of the Spirit in us. As we are gradually transformed into a deeper relationship with God, we are sanctified for God’s service.

Paul tells the Roman church that he was empowered “to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my work for God.” (Romans 15:16-17) He says his work is ‘priestly service..sanctified by the Holy Spirit’. Only in Jesus can he ‘boast of my work for God’.

We also are sanctified. To be sanctified is to be made holy and consecrated and set apart for the work of God. It is awesome that God takes each of us frail bits of dust and is willing to sanctify us by God’s Spirit so that we can do the work of God in the world.

To live a sanctified life, we need a strategy. In the 2015 movie The War Room, Miss Clara explains that she has a special closet dedicated to praying, which she calls her "War Room". She says, "In order to stand up and fight the enemy, you need to get on your knees and pray."

Probably we could all do with a bit more prayer in our lives. Whether we can dedicate a completely separate place, or simply a corner of a room, it is important to have a place and time to meet with God so that we can be sanctified to the priestly service of the Living God. The graphic gives an example of a checklist for connecting with God. You might want to come up with your own (this is sometimes called a Rule of Life).

God takes the moments we give him and sanctifies them. God makes holy the time we spend in conversation with God. As we spend time we learn to more fully live into our ‘priestly service of the gospel of God’.

The 12 apostles spent a lot of time with Jesus and in that relationship learned to carry the Good News into all the world. Certainly they weren’t perfect, and obviously they didn’t know that they could do the work of sharing the Gospel. (All you need to do is look at the first chapter of Acts to see how unsure of themselves they were!) Then the sweeping wind of the Holy Spirit came and sanctified their work. That wind of God’s Spirit gave them courage and strength to go out into the streets and beyond to tell about Jesus and about God’s redeeming work.

As we spend time with God in prayer conversation, we will discover that we are also sanctified to do our work in the world. Your job may be bagging groceries or it may be overseeing a financial empire, but either way, you are ‘minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God’. We come in contact with lots of people each day, and we are charged and sanctified to serve as our ‘work for God’.

The ‘Gentiles’ you minister to are the people you come in contact with each day. How might you change the way you interact with people if you see yourself as in the priestly service of God?

Do you ever think that what you do doesn’t make a difference? Does thinking of your work as part of priestly service to God change that idea?

The Spirit Who Empowers and Teaches

For the past couple weeks, we have been looking at Jesus promise to send the Holy Spirit-the Advocate and Counselor: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

That promised Spirit is an Advocate, a Counselor. In Greek the word is parakletos meaning an intercessor, consoler, advocate, comforter. It is someone who is called on to help and assist; someone who, like a defense attorney, pleads the case. We are told that this Spirit, this Paraclete (to use the old terminology), will ‘abide’ or stay with us forever. Because of that we can be ‘strong and courageous’, as God advises Joshua (Joshua 1:9), in the face of any and every thing. That doesn’t mean that everything will be sweet and lovely and easy. Living the work of God is not an easy path.

It can be easy to become fearful when you listen to all the news and look at the world. One anagram of the word Fear that made the circles on Facebook a while back said that Fear is ‘False Evidence Appearing Real’. We can be fooled by what seems to be reality, when the true reality is that God is in Control!

You would think that the Israelites would have had faith and living into God’s plan all figured out. However, even a quick glance at the stories in the Bible reassures us that they were just as apt to fail as we are. Through all their ups and downs, God was with them in and through the Spirit.

In Micah 3:8, we hear Micah say, “I am filled with power, with the spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.” This doesn’t, at first glance seem like the work of an advocate or comforter. Yet, stop for a minute and remember that sometimes we have to have our faults pointed out before we can change. We don’t LIKE to have someone, or God, point out that we have slipped up. Unless we know we made a mistake, we cannot change.

As God’s Advocate with us, the Holy Spirit may just tap us on our shoulder and say, ‘Oops, looked like you took a wrong turn. Let’s change direction.’ Because God does love and care for us, he corrects us. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews (12:5-7) quotes Proverbs 3:11-12 when he says, “And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children—‘My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.’ Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline?” It is the discipline (the disciple-in’) of our hearts and souls by God’s Spirit that empowers us to do God’s work. We are each being trained and taught like a beloved child. Even if the lesson feels uncomfortable, we don’t have to be afraid because we know God is in it all.

The Holy Spirit’s empowering action is found in this promise from Isaiah “you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, ‘You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off, do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:9-10) God promises to strengthen, uphold, and protect us. Therefore, we can be unafraid, no matter what happens.

The graphic tells us to “Replace FEAR about What If, with FAITH in I AM”. How can you work on replacing Fear with Faith in your day to day living?

Is it comforting to think that what seems like punishment is really God at work empowering us to be better disciples?

The Spirit Who Still Acts

Last week we started a series about the Holy Spirit, exploring how the Spirit of God works in and through us to Bless, Love, Refresh and Empower us to do the work of God. The Holy Spirit, though illusive to define, is nonetheless an active part of the Trinity, as we saw last week. As we saw, Jesus promised his disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

On the very first Day of Pentecost, when the apostles and other followers were hiding in the Upper Room still fearful of Jewish or Roman reprisal, the Spirit came to them “suddenly from heaven”. This was no calm feeling of the presence of God. Instead, “there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” This explosion of the Spirit spilled out into the street, where “there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 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...we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’” (Acts 2:2-8, 11-12)

Peter then begins to explain to the crowd that this is what was promised. “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, 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; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 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.”…Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.’” Pretty brave words from a Galilean fisherman who only a short time before had been shaking in his sandals. The highly unusual events cause those present to rethink their ideas of life and faith and God. “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’” Peter responds that they should “‘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 2:17-21. 36-39) Peter tells the gathered multitude that they too can receive the power of the Holy Spirit which they see visibly manifested in front of them. No wonder “about 3000” joined the movement that day!

Sometimes we can think that such things only happen in the Bible. We might shrug and say the Spirit doesn’t act that way any longer. That is not true. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) Probably we don’t see the mighty works because we aren’t looking for them. When a hardened sinner repents, that is the Holy Spirit. When healing happens, the Holy Spirit is at work. When there is a glorious sunrise or sunset, the Holy Spirit is manifesting God’s glory. When good comes from something that is evil, it is the Holy Spirit at work. When a heart is touched by a song, a story, a kind word, the Holy Spirit is there.

In the First Letter of John, we are reminded, “As for you, the anointing that you received from [the Spirit of God] abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.” 1 John 2: 27 Jeremy Camp (Same Power) reminds us “The Same Power that rose Jesus from the Grave…lives in us.” 

We can look to the Holy Spirit to help us discern how God is acting and working in our lives and in the world around us. Then we can ask, “How can I abide in the Spirit and be part of the work of God?”

The Jeremy Camp songs says “greater is He that is living in me…” What difference does that make to your life? 

The Spirit: Regenerates & Indwells

Those of you who have been reading along with this blog will recall that since Easter Sunday we’ve been exploring ways God Refreshes us, and Blesses us so that we can offer Love to those we meet and interact with. After a brief hiatus, we are back to look at the work of the Holy Spirit in Refreshing, Blessing, and Loving.

Many of us are unsure about the Holy Spirit. We may glibly recite the Nicene Creed that says “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets…” Yet, the Holy Spirit is often rather ignored when considering the 3 persons of the Trinity. The Father and the Son, yes, they are kind of relatable, but the Spirit… The Spirit is not as easy to relate to or explain--and I’m not going to try and explain anything. Instead, we will look at ways the Spirit of the Living God works in and through us.

Jesus told his disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) This is a wonderful promise because we are assured that the Spirit of God lives in us. We don’t have to explain or understand it, just accept that the Spirit of Truth, our Advocate, is with us always.

One of the things the Spirit does is Regenerate and Indwell. Most often we think of ‘regenerate’ in repairing or re-growing cells. It can also mean to bring new or renewed life to an issue or organization. The Spirit of God regenerates our souls. Our souls are reborn and made new. You may recall the story of Nicodemus who came to see Jesus at night. He left with as many questions as he came with because Jesus told him. “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” (John 3: 3-5)

The idea of being born again is confusing. However, as the Spirit works in our lives and souls, we discover that we are indeed regenerated and made new—born again. In the Letter to the Romans, we hear the same truth, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11) We may not be able to explain HOW it happens. Like Nicodemus we may not even be able to understand that it CAN happen. However, because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we are given new life. We are regenerated, we are reborn in a new, spiritual way. Live into the truth that the Holy Spirit is living and working in you each and every day.

What might be different about the way you face the trials and temptations of day-to-day life if you remembered that God’s Spirit is in you?

Sometimes if we hear familiar words in a new way, it gives new insight. For a new rendition of the Creed consider the song This I Believe by Hillsong. Does the rephrasing of the familiar words make you think about the Spirit and Trinity in a different way?

May 15-Pentecost

Today is Pentecost. It has been 50 days since Easter. (time sure does fly, as they say) Pentecost originally was a feast outlined in Leviticus as the offering of new grain (Leviticus 23:15-21). That is why the Book of Acts notes that there were so many in Jerusalem, “Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians…” (Acts 2:9-11) Everyone was present for the festival.

For Christians, Pentecost is when we remember the giving of the Holy Spirit on the faithful followers of Jesus. They were in the upper room hiding out, fear-filled and unsure of themselves. In the course of 50 days, not even 2 months, they had seen Jesus die, Jesus resurrected, and Jesus ascend to heaven. They probably didn’t know what to expect next.

What came next was flame and wind. The Holy Spirit emboldened them to go out and tell everyone what had happened. They had to proclaim what Jesus had done. We may never have had tongues of fire descend on us, or a loud rushing wind impel us to preach. However, we are descendants of those men and women. We are called to proclaim the Good News of Christ to a world desperate for some good news.

Over the past 5 weeks, readers here have had the chance to look at ways to be refreshed in soul for the work of God. The season of Pentecost, which lasts from now until Advent, is when we live and do the work of God in the world. This season is sometimes called “ordinary time”. In one sense it is ordinary because we are going about our regular routines without the benefit of big feast days to inspire us. On the other hand, the season of Pentecost is anything but ordinary because we are doing God’s work. When we become aware that our day-to-day living is part of the work of God, we become extra-ordinary women and men.

Peter, and those in the upper room, were transformed by the experience of the Holy Spirit. They boldly spoke out about Jesus while living their daily lives. In Acts we are told, “Day by day, attending the temple together and breaking break in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.” (Acts 2:46-47) Yes, they did signs and wonders, but more importantly, they lived among their neighbors just like they had always done. It was the witness of their changed lives and their pointing to Christ that impressed and converted people. When Peter and John were confronted by the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, they told him, “I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

(I offer you this coloring page as an aid to meditating on the ordinary, yet extra-ordinary response of Peter and John. Print it out and sit with the picture and some pencils, markers, crayons. As you color, think about the lives of the first century men and women. How can you be like them in telling about Jesus in your life?)

The men and women of first century Jerusalem were not really that different from you and me. They were living their lives, conscious of the action of God in Christ and through the Holy Spirit. They could do nothing except share the Good News. 

Over the next few weeks, the meditations here will look at ways we are Blessed to do that work as well. Come along and live the (extra)ordinary time of sharing in the witness of God. 

Pentecost Hymns

This is Pentecost Sunday when we remember the Holy Spirit filling the disciples in the upper room (Acts 2:1-4). The promise of our God is that the same Spirit lives in us and works through us! Pretty amazing!

Here are 2 hymns which invite the Spirit to be present in our lives. May the Spirit of the Living God infuse your life this Pentecost and in the future.

I’ve included the lyrics and a link to a video of the song itself. 

Holy Spirit by Kim Walker-Smith and Jesus Culture

There's nothing worth more
That could ever come close
No thing can compare
You're our living hope
Your presence, Lord
I've tasted and seen
Of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free
And my shame is undone
Your presence, Lord

[Chorus:]
Holy Spirit, You are welcome here
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for
To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

There's nothing worth more
That could ever come close
No thing can compare
You're our living hope
Your presence, Lord
I've tasted and seen
Of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free
And my shame is undone
Your presence, Lord

[Chorus]

Let us become more aware of Your presence
Let us experience the glory of Your goodness

Watch a video of this song here:

Spirit by James K. Manley

Refrain:
    Spirit, spirit of gentleness,
    Blow through the wilderness, calling and free,
    Spirit, spirit of restlessness,
    Stir me from placidness,
    Wind, wind on the sea.

1.  You moved on the waters,
    You called to the deep,
    Then You coaxed up the mountains
    From the valleys of sleep,
    And over the eons
    You called to each thing,
    "Awake from your slumbers
    And rise on your wings."
    (Refrain)

2.  You swept through the desert,
    You stung with the sand,
    And You gifted your people
    With a law and a land,
    And when they were blinded
    With their idols and lies,
    Then You spoke through Your prophets
    To open their eyes.
    (Refrain)

3.  You sang in a stable,
    You cried from a hill,
    Then You whispered in silence
    When the whole world was still,
    And down in the city
    You called once again
    When You blew through Your people
    On the rush of the wind.

    (Refrain)

4.  You call from tomorrow,
    You break ancient schemes,
    From the bondage of sorrow
    The captives dream dreams;
    Our women see visions,
    Our men clear their eyes.
    With bold new decisions
    Your people arise.

    (Refrain)

See the video here:

Over the next few weeks we’ll contemplate ways the Spirit of God is at work in and among us based on Isaiah 61. Happy Pentecost