Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit

SpiritEpiphany
January 8, 2016

Scripture Reading: Acts 8:14-17

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

The author of the book of Hebrews tells us, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) The Holy Spirit is a mystery yet it is so real one can be convicted of its presence. I do not know what happened in this visit with Peter and John and the Samaritans or even the events described at Pentecost. I do know that there exists a power that is also a comfort and a comfort that is also very powerful that can and does engulf our lives sometimes when we least expect it, but always when we most need it.

The Holy Spirit, Our Advocate, God’s promised Comforter is the ultimate gift of God’s love an extension of Emmanuel, God with Us, now and forever with each of us and with all of God’s children as we strive collectively to bring about the Kingdom of God in our world today. Yet we cower in fear at bullies and things that go bump in the night. At least I do. Perhaps it is time that we step forth into the mystery and trust God to lead us as we are called to lead others out of the wilderness of hate and fear and greed.

Prayer: Come Holy Spirit Heavenly Dove and lead us forth into the promises of God’s abiding love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Sacraments

Holy SpiritEpiphany
January 7, 2016

Scripture Reading: Acts 8:14-17

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

One of the amazingly understated phenomenon of this scripture is the uneventful reporting of the need for apostles to visit the folks in Samaria. The Jews and the Samaritans had not seen eye-to-eye for many years. They were the unclean to each other. We know that Jesus was opened to the Samaritans as he used a Samaritan as a shining example of his way in one of his parables. (Luke 10: 25-37) He also asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. (John 4:4–26) Talking to an unrelated woman was bad enough, but a Samaritan. Teachers never really know what sticks until it plays out in real life.

The need for the trip itself may have been as much about reassuring the Samaritans of their welcome into the Body of Christ as it was about making sure they had received the right messages or actions. Or it could have meant that the apostles wanted to check out the new members themselves. My mother was one of the most devoted Christians I have ever known but she was ultimately baptized three times. Sprinkled at birth as an infant in the Methodist church, the Christian Church required that she be baptized again because at that time they only recognized immersion. Eventually, she and my dad joined another group that didn’t recognize any other baptism. My Mom probably consented to do this because she thought it would be of benefit to my Dad or the witnesses or both. I think she was confident in her relationship with God throughout her life.

We still struggle with the proper trappings of church. I do think sacraments are important. Humans seem to have a need to memorialize major life changes and situations. We must remember in these public acts of faith; it is our private relationship with God that really matters.

Prayer: Lord, as we celebrate you in our worship and in our sacraments, touch our hearts with the warmth of your love and renew us once again to our service for you. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Running on Love

spirit-of-pentecostLiving in the Spirit
May 27, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
   ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
   worship the Lord in holy splendor.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
   the God of glory thunders,
   the Lord, over mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
   the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. –Psalm 29:1-4 

I have a voice that carries well. So did both my mother and dad, not my sister and brother so much.  It is a good gift when one needs to get someone’s attention; it is not a good gift if one is trying to whisper. We hear often about the still small voice of God, but our Psalmist today wants us to give God our attention.

I suppose this scripture is included in the lectionary for Pentecost because God took great pains on that day to get everyone’s attention. Rushing winds and tongues of fire were used on that day, and people being enabled to speak in languages they previously did not know. Such and experience would have left a lasting impression on me. Although if it were to happen today, we would probably have seen it as just one more bit of technology at work.

Our scripture today is telling us to never, ever take God for granted or write God off because we have got a handle on this world. The truth, in regard to a world running on love, is that we have barely scratched the surface.

Prayer: Speak to us, Lord, in whatever way is needed to get our attention about making love the thing that fuels this world. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Gift of the Spirit

Pentecost 2015Pentecost
May 24, 2015

Scripture Reading: John 16:4b-15

‘I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgments, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. –John 16:4b-11

The Spirit of God, this Advocate, is described here as having three primary functions and we are the functionaries:

  1. To prove the world wrong about sin because the world does not believe in Jesus who taught that sin is living without relationship with God rather than simply a failure to address moral issues;
  2. To prove the world wrong about righteousness, because while Jesus’ death on the cross to the world was proof of his unrighteousness, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead nullified that proof;
  3. To prove the world wrong about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned and rendered powerless through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Do we live as citizens of the Kingdom of God in this “world” in synch with God as servants of a risen Savior who has overcome evil in the world?

At Christmas we welcome Emmanuel, God with us. At Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Savior who overcame the “world”. At Pentecost God calls us to move out into this “world” and demonstrate the love of God illustrated through this wondrous gift of God’s son. We are to do this through our words and deeds with a courage we can only draw from God who continues to rain strength on us through God’s Spirit.

In the church year Pentecost is the celebration on the liturgical calendar that leads into what is called ordinary time. While that term has rich meaning in that it says living as God’s functionary needs to become our normal way of being, I like to call it “Living in the Spirit” because I need to be reminded routinely that with God love is the norm.

Prayer: Thank you for sending Jesus to living among us; thank you for overcoming evil through his life, death, and resurrection; and thank you for the gift of your Spirit whose courage, guidance, and constant presence we need to continue your work today. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A New Creation

Whole body of ChristEastertide May 20, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 104:24-34

These all look to you
   to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up;
   when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
when you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
   and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
   and you renew the face of the ground. –Psalm 104:27-30

The imagery of always being in a state of re-creation seems appropriate at this time of year when many graduations are happening. My nieces, both pre-school educators, are currently celebrating the advancement of their students into first grade, many grade schools acknowledge the move from elementary school to middle school, then high school, college or tech school, and work. Learning does not stop there. In many ways it just begins. And so it goes with most aspects of life.

Our life in the Spirit it like that also. There may have been one grand aha experience in some people’s lives like is described at Pentecost when all were filled with the Spirit, but for most of us, our gifts from the Spirit are accrued gradually with perhaps some great awakenings, but most often with small nudges and insights that occur every day. Each time we are touched by the Spirit we are changed. I believe those changes are gradually helping us fully realize the talents and skills God instilled in us at our beginning.

More importantly, we are called to community to live and grow and be re-created together as a part of the whole body of Christ. Bringing together the diverse offerings of each person not only brings to fruition the wholeness of individuals, but becomes the oneness that Jesus indicted was so essential.

As I watch the news, I fear we are failing at spreading this good news about God and God’s ever present Spirit striving to make us one. We seem bent on divisiveness from bullying to war, from declaring exceptionalism to outright racism, and from materialism to flagrant greed in a world of people starving for love as well as food. I do not know a time in my life when we have needed the gifts of the Spirit more to make us confident Disciples of Christ spreading love and justice throughout the lands.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, rest on me, give me the strength and courage to spread your love and justice throughout the lands. Place within me the connective tissue that reaches out to form bonds of love with others so that Christ’s desire for us to be one is realized. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Speaking Other Languages

Come Holy SpiritEastertide
May 19, 2015

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:1-21

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.

 Now 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. –Acts 2:1-6

Taking Spanish in college, I soon learned that I could read it better than I could speak it, and I now know that since I have not used it, I have lost most of it. Being articulate with the use of guacamole and taco does not count. I also do not text. I guess I am just being stubborn, but it is so much easier to leave a voice message rather than take the time to type out a message with two rather clumsy thumbs that require me to delete and reenter as many letters or numbers as I input successfully. The result is I have a limited knowledge of text speak. I do know LOL. Taking the tests associated with Ruby Payne’s A Framework for Understanding Poverty, helped me understand that I have only a basic knowledge of the language of poverty even though I have worked in that area for over 40 years, am amazingly good at middle class, and failed miserably the language of the rich.

In general, I live, move, and have my being in silos I have chosen or that were chosen for me by my ancestors. It is very, very hard to move beyond those silos but it is possible through the love of God, the example of Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 17:28, states, For “In [Christ] we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your own poets have said, “For we too are his offspring.”

 The Kingdom of God will never flourish across this earth until we remove ourselves from our silos of exclusion and open ourselves to the other. Paul’s list for working toward inclusion is: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28) What is in your list for inclusion? What is your plan for climbing out of your silos?

Prayer: Lord, make me whole so that I can open myself to the others in the world today. Let your spirit guide me in meeting people where they are and joining them in growing together toward the oneness to which you have called us. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Inclusive Spirit

Same-Spirit-PentecostEastertide
May 18, 2015

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:1-21

“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…. 

Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” –Acts 2”17-18, 21

The message of Pentecost is inclusive. There is no greater challenge facing the church of Jesus Christ than accepting that message into every fiber of our individual and collective beings. Humans seem to be drawn to be exclusive. We are a competitive lot needing to be first or best or whatever other superlative may apply. I do not think that is a bad thing. I could see Jesus playing a pickup game on the beach with the disciples. We have reached the development in science, literature, medicine, and, yes, even sports trying to beat our individual bests. Our worth as individuals and groups, however, is not established by being better than someone else. Our worth was established the day God’s image was melded into our being.

The church is called to be the conduit of the talents and skills of all people toward spreading the love of God throughout the earth and that means we first must love one another. We must invest our energy in enabling each person to be a fully actualized Christian. Disciple making is not a one and done experience, it is a lifetime of growing together in love and faith. We must experience as much of the joy of Christ at the accomplishment of others as we do our own. In all honesty our accomplishments are the results of that wonderful cloud of witnesses that went before us and serve with us now.

Prayer: Lord, heal my soul so that I do not feel the need to be better than another. Grant me the joy of working in communion with fellow Christians. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

One with the Lord

Gifts of the spiritEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 16, 2015

 Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, ‘The two shall be one flesh.’ But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. —1 Corinthians 6:16-20

I just finished reading Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. He envisions a representation of us humans as being a series of circles. The center most circle is the Will. It is surrounded by the circle of the Mind, than the circle of the Body, and finally the circle that holds it all together, the Soul. While I am still playing with this example in my own thoughts, it makes sense. I, however, don’t think most of us function as if the Soul were the primary circle in our lives. For some the Will would be the outer boundary of who we are and the Soul would be the inner most core.

The Soul is that part of are being that is our very essence, who we really are. How we treat each segment of our being is important to all the other segments. When our Will runs amuck our Minds, Bodies, and Souls are impacted and so it goes with each part.

Paul is perhaps suggesting in our scripture today that the Soul is the part of us that relates most closely to God. It is the home of the Holy Spirit. We need to take good care of it as we need to take good care our Bodies and Minds. If we take good care of all three our Wills might become a source of strength for our total being rather than an enemy battling for supremacy. It is something to think about.

Prayer: Lord, we pray that in whatever construct we perceive ourselves in relationship to you that your will is our will and our souls are one with you. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Hush, hush, somebody’s callin’ my name

Water running to the seaEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 13, 2015

 Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)
The Lord called again, ‘Samuel!’ Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call, my son; lie down again.’ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” ’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

 Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’  — 1 Samuel 3:6-10

There is a traditional African American hymn that captures well the plight of the young Samuel to whom the Lord had not yet been revealed.

Hush, hush, somebody’s callin’ my name,
Hush, hush, somebody’s callin’ my name,
Hush, hush, somebody’s callin’ my name,
Oh my Lord Oh my Lord what shall I do,
What shall I do?

 There comes a point in each of our lives when we hear the invitation and it is our choice how to respond, but we never do it alone. One of the most remarkable aspects of creation to me is our interdependence. I envision it as a giant 3D operational puzzle where, when every piece is in its proper place, it runs as smoothly and accurately as the water flows to the sea. Of course, in our not yet perfected world even water has a tough time making it to the sea, but it never stops trying. Sometimes it carves out new paths over more welcoming land circumventing whatever is standing in its way.

Samuel was like that new land. He was someone, who when the Lord was made known to him, listened and responded. Jesus too was a new way toward God’s great kingdom and he passed the job to his disciples leaving them and us with the power of the Advocate. The synergy of this oneness with the guidance of the Holy Spirit is unstoppable. The tasks now is in our hands.

Prayer: Lord, make us path clearers not stumbling blocks. You have given us ears to hear, help us now to listen for your call. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Holy “Sprit”

Sail boatEpiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
January 9, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Acts 19:1-7

On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied— altogether there were about twelve of them.  — Acts 19:5-7

 Many years ago my church challenged each of the Sunday School Classes, adult and children, to make a banner for advent. It was surprising how everyone, young and old, got into the project. We planned to hang them across the wall in front of our balcony at the back of the church. On the day the crew arrived to put them up, we all got a good laugh out of the one done by the first grade class. They had done a three-D picture of a pregnant Mary with the words, Mary was found to be pregnant by the Holy Sprit. Someone had left one of the “I’s” out of the Spirit.

We hung the banner anyway. It was pretty, but it also had an inadvertent message. A sprit is actually a word defined as a spar that crosses a fore-and-aft sail diagonally from the mast near the tack of the sail to the upper aftmost corner that it extends and elevates*. A most apt description of the Holy Spirit don’t you think for it has to do with using the wind for power and guidance. Even more important is the message that if we leave ourselves out of the equation of our relationship with God through the Holy Spirit, we have already missed the boat.

We may be like those first graders who are still at the stage of life where everything is real, concrete to them. The Holy Spirit for most of us is the ultimate in abstraction. The Holy Spirit is like love, we may or may not be able to see it, but we know it when we experience it.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, truth divine,
 Dawn upon this soul of mine;
 Word of God and inward light
 Wake my spirit, clear my sight. 

Holy Spirit, love divine,
 Glow within this heart of mine;
 Kindle every high desire;
 Perish self in Thy pure fire.**Amen.

* http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/sprit
**From Hymn Holy Spirit, Love Divine, words by Samuel Longfellow

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.