05-17-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
May 17, 2024
Maybe you have done it enough to have absolutely no jitters, but I really dislike returning a rental car on my way to catch a flight. Traffic around Denver Airport was pretty crazy, and of course, finding a gas station to fill the rental before returning was challenging. It actually turned out very well, and Donna and I arrived at our gate with plenty of time. A few times along the way, I said a prayer like, “Spirit, I need your calming presence to be poured over me.”

Though Pentecost is usually described as an event where the Spirit created energy, excitement, and people infused with purpose, I believe the Spirit is also a gift by which we find rest, calm, and periods of focus that we can prayerfully discern. How is it that the Spirit can be the source of both, and if so, are there times when we might be in conflict with the Spirit? Are there times when our emotional or spiritual need in the moment is not what the Spirit is seeking to do? Could it be that God meets us wherever we are and provides the gifts that will place us in the right mood or spiritual frame of mind so that we can take the next step? Just because I am needing some time to breathe doesn’t mean the Spirit isn’t capable of pushing you ahead. When I am rested, then I will be in a better place to join you in the good work you are doing. Though it sometimes goes against our nature, there are times when the work we need to be doing is finding rest with the Spirit, a time to breathe in the grace of God so that we are in the best place to take hold of the purpose God is putting before us. I think the Spirit does both.

Your love meets us where we are, Lord God, and then you work with each person just as you find them. Thank you for that beautiful expression of grace. Amen.