We are celebrating Pentecost - the birth of the Church - when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles…and upon us!
Jesus explains the Spirit in John 14:
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth…he abides with
you, and he will be with you…and remind you of all that I have said to you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
From the Pentecost account in Acts 2:
And suddenly from heaven their came a sound like the rush
of a violent wind…
God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all
flesh…
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be
saved.
St. Paul’s interpretation from Romans 18:
All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God…
You have received a spirit of adoption.
We are children of God…heirs of God and joint heirs with
Christ…
Great & Generous God,
Scripture tells us your Holy Spirit was poured out at
Pentecost. There’s no mention of rationing. It came powerfully, and I should be
awash in the Spirit.
…but you reach out to me only to get a dropped call. I’m
out-of-network, off the grid. Then I grumble that you seem distant, that you
don’t speak clearly or answer promptly.
That’s on me. Your signal is strong. We create the
interference with our stuff - our wounds and anxieties, compulsions, comfort-seeking and material aspirations, something as simple as gossip, or just plain busyness. All of it blocks your presence.
Lord Christ, Scripture says your Spirit envelops us, that
you have adopted us, that we are offered peace.
It’s a call I must answer! Amen.
