Every Christian church thinks the Holy Spirit is important. Most all
say it is crucial. But nobody talks much about the Holy Spirit. Even
those few who do talk about it remain vague. Why?
The answer may be evident in the Bible itself. When the Old
Testament talks about the Spirit of God, they use two different
words. One word for Spirit (ruach) means breath. The other word, (nephesh)
also means, "soul." Think about it, and you begin to understand why
people say so little. Try this challenge yourself: describe
"breath." Even more of a challenge: try describing "soul."
It comes down to this. The Holy Spirit is not something to be
defined, captured or described. The Holy Spirit is something to be
experienced.
Once I went with a group of church deacons to tour a new county
jail. We were starting a ministry with ex-convicts, and we wanted to
know something of what they had experienced. The jail was new, well
lit, sanitary. Yet what everyone noticed was that when we walked out
of the prison and into the outside air, it felt like we could
breathe again. We all took a deep breath, and felt like we were
alive again.
In classic faith, the Holy Spirit comes to human beings and walks
us out of the prison of sin, death, legalism and anomie. It then
goes on to breathe new life into us--the fresh air of faith, grace,
joy, peace and all the fruits of the Spirit that lead to a dynamic
sense of life in God's creation.
I've felt the Spirit moving often lately among the good people of
Westminster.
• In the laughter in the new-members
class;
• When we left the old sanctuary behind with a
processional moving toward the
future;
• In the creative ideas of so many church committees.
• In the lively response of people coming together to
do
great things for God.
The Holy Spirit conveys what is most crucial to us. Namely, God's
activity toward us. It's not so much that it takes your breath away.
It gives you a fresh breath that lets you know you are alive in
God's presence.
Join us as we celebrate Pentecost--the coming of the Holy
Spirit--on May 11. Wear red to symbolize the lively tongues of fire
experienced with the coming of the Spirit in Acts 2. And remember,
as we are people of God's Spirit, sometimes the most important thing
we can do is to take a deep breath!
Yours in the Spirit,
