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It’s actually a joke in the Lutheran world… Do we really (like to) talk about the Holy Spirit? Or is it something carefully whispered under the breath at a text study? Talking about the Holy Spirit wondering what it truly is especially in context to your life as a disciple of Jesus is not an easy task. It is however, the task we all must face, for the Spirit is the Truth of God!
There
are many forces in the world to be reckoned with but hard for us to go there in
thinking about being reckoned by a mighty and Divine force upon our lives! We must not forget that the Gospel writer
Luke had a fascinating journey. Luke was a companion of Paul, witnessed the
finding of churches alongside him as well as tried to capture/ encapsulate the
Holy Spirit’s work during the journey itself in writing. His motivation appears to have come from a
profound sense of conversion he himself experienced but didn’t write about per
say, since it wasn’t to be about himself, but God.
We DO
still need to focus upon the self in the sense of realizing the Holy Spirit and
transforming into the child of Grace God wants us to consider. Looking at today’s texts we are brought to
see and nearly experience, fathom, the violent, awesome power of God coming to
the disciples to overwhelm, not impose but humble upon them the Spirit of Truth—the
third nebulous, abstract character of the Holy Trinity: The Holy Spirit, Himself!
Daily
there is a battle raging, for we must realize as Paul realized in many of his
letters; that we are of spirit and of flesh. We are as well truly aspiring saints and
fallen but never hopeless, sinners. The ruler of this world is only given so
much power since he is fueled by our indifference and caving into graceless
behavior. This indifference and caving
into graceless behavior could grow into creating a vast wilderness of death,
evil and destruction especially upon the shaping of the soul to live for God
and love neighbor… Christ is counting on us though, to live otherwise!
Can we
be and become people truly of peace and Grace? Not much to be heard in the news
lately with the horrors of another kind of war beginning to take root and the
victory of evil and sin trying to bud forth! To be and become a people of Peace
and Grace is a process for the nature of the soul to willingly be transformed
by and for God through the Holy Spirit.
Next
Saturday will truly be a wonderful day of setting the Holy Spirit loose! For the Gathering North will be having a retreat
that I have crafted to act as an appetizer for people to consider making a full
Cursillo weekend. Since it is a one day
affair, it will have to make a lasting impression to motivate people to move
forward.
There
are very few things in and around our lives that make a lasting positive and
wonderful impression upon us. Speaking
for myself, making a Cursillo weekend 11 years ago right after my conversion
experience was one step away from imagining being in that room with the
disciples & experiencing the awesome, glory of God’s Grace coming as the
Holy Spirit to set the heart on fire for the mission of God!
One of
the joys I have never experienced has been wanting to lead a Cursillo and give
a talk on Grace. This coming Saturday,
the day before we celebrate Holy Trinity Sunday will be my opportunity! There’s another nebulous abstract aspect of
the Glory of God—what we believe and are justified by—GRACE. You can’t get
enough of Grace, if your heart is on fire for God and you are doing, not trying,
your best to answer “His commission to serve on His mission—the Gospel
imperative.”
“Mission
Commission,” I love that fun concept for the disciple to chew upon. We are all
on a mission! “We’re on a mission from
God!” said Elwood Blues to his brother Jake during that terribly funny but
powerful moment in the Blues Brothers’ movie, Jake has his conversion experience. Life, however, is not a sitcom or satire
unless you’re not really living into where you are and whose you are. We all want to escape at various times in our
struggle to stay on the path of the Lord’s journey for us. The valleys can and will drag on and drain us
where the mountain tops we wish to traverse, as well as at times DO set foot upon…
are all too short in being realized!
God
wasn’t done with me yet after that fateful conversion experience in the fall of
2003… I say that because I needed to
hear and experience what IS the Holy Spirit, yet alone Grace? I experienced
that in making my Cursillo that same Fall of 2003. Worship is something to
truly be a reckoning force when it has been fed and led by the Holy Spirit. For that conversion experience came out of
worship as well as during that Cursillo, a sermon amidst lots of singing spoke
in more ways than one to my impressionable heart.
“Grace
is like the dust in the air…” said Pastor Kathy, as she said these words while
lifting her arms in prayer, I felt what had set her heart on fire! The language that came forth was underneath the
spoken Word—it was definitely the Holy Spirit! Worship, prayer, preaching and
the Eucharist are the vessels of God’s Grace, active means, in the world as the
Holy Spirit. The room came alive where the giant cross of Jesus upon this
beautiful tiny chapel’s walls stood out profoundly and I then knew what God
wanted me to see and DO.
It didn’t
end there however, for that very same service, concluded most beautifully with
Holy Communion. And let me tell you, it
was definitely COMMUNION! No “cardboard
of Christ” to be found anywhere, but a giant loaf of bread and a large chalice
of wine~ Upon being served a huge piece
of bread that I had to work on chewing for a while, everyone began to sing accapella
while we then returned to our seats and closed in prayer. I have yet to have had another experience
like that, it was truly unique and incredible.
There’s
a new very disturbing poll out there today that I think the media actually
enjoys reporting or informing, reminding us of… This would be how many
Christians are falling away from the faith, the church and needing God in
general... People perhaps weren’t really
fed and led by the Gospel of Grace yet alone didn’t even remotely experience or
were shepherded to Learn about the Spirit of Truth! When the Gospel merely becomes a bowl of
cherries where one purely scopes out politics and self-concerned agendas: Where
is Jesus?! Where is the Holy Spirit for
that matter?!
How sad
and horrible to hear these things especially as someone who has recently
committed their whole entire life to God in becoming a pastor! Serving two flocks, the Gathering North &
the Grace Hub, both unpaid, a lot of people don’t take you too seriously
especially since we’ve allowed the notion and concept of “serving” to become so
money-driven, hierarchical and “professional…”
We are and must remember, that we’re to be in the world but never of
it. Never saying never is our challenge.
We’re
always “trying,” instead of truly DOING or living into that Holy Spirit
initiated fire in our hearts to take the Gospel imperative seriously. Even back in the Old Testament, people had a
hard time taking Ezekiel’s prophecies seriously. In fact, it was thought that he perhaps was a
little off his rocker. Living a very
sparse and reclusive life painting fantastic visions with words hard to fathom and
experience—where was this coming from, what does it all mean?
The
disciples said that very same thing…
What does this all mean? While others
said they must be drunk… We’re always
going to be in this battle as a person of Faith and as a people of faith. I am a fool for Christ as well as seen
perhaps by some as just a fool period.
These things the heart has to weather and become strong, not hardened. There are those that claim to lead and feed
and their hearts are more than closed doors to the Spirit and Grace of God… Their Gospel is toxic and slowly causes “death…”
Should
we stand by and just “try” in a Sunday only frame of mind or truly DO, 24-7 on
a Monday through Sunday scale? To
embrace the Holy Spirit and its awesome power… Easier said than done, but God’s
work in, with and through us is never fully completed. God’s timing is unknowable but through the
Holy Spirit, we are inspired, enlightened and encouraged into New Life! Divided our individual journeys may seem, but
together there is that mountain top to climb where the glory of God reveals the
purpose and goal of all life: Grace.
AMEN
May 24th, 2015, Day of Pentecost;
Year B; SOLA Lectionary;
Sermon by Reverend Nicole A.M.
Collins
Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 139:1-16;
Acts 2:1-21; John 15:26-27;16:4b-15
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