24 May 2015 - come great fire of god

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
Receive the Holy Spirit.

Breathe on us now, LORD Jesus. We aren't receiving the ability to forgive sins like the disciples. We receive something even more basic: life. Just as Adam is lifeless dirt until God's breath (Hebrew: rua, also translated spirit) fills him so too are his people lifeless to the degree that they are not filled with your Holy Spirit.

We first feel this breath upon us at baptism. The Holy Spirit descends on us like a dove as we arise from the flood waters of the font. Yet his presence must not stop there. He must mark our entire lives. He must be present to us each day in all that we do.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.

Only if we follow the Spirit do we see the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And the degree to which these manifest in us are good markers of the Spirit's presence within us.

Only if we follow the Spirit can we say "Jesus is Lord" in a meaningful way. Sure, the syllables are easy to form into words. But without the Spirit speaking within us these words mean nothing. Without the Spirit we find ourselves as our own Lord. We find idols on the throne where Jesus should be.

But when the Spirit fills us God is on the throne the words "Jesus is Lord" are more than mere sounds. His Lordship becomes real in our lives.  We are filled with different kinds of spiritual gifts for the building up of the body of Christ. No one is neglected. "To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit."

We are given to drink of one Spirit. If we still thirst, let us keep drinking. There is more. This is the water which is meant to quench our thirst for all times. We only receive to the degree that we are open. And there is always more to hear than we can bear now. But the Spirit is with us guiding us into all truth where our thirst is finally quenched.

Let us invite the Spirit to pray the words "Jesus is Lord" within us today. They proclaim a truth we believe and at the same time ask that truth to become real in our lives.

When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

Create us anew in the fire of your Spirit, O Lord, that with your disciples we might proclaim the mighty acts of God in all the tongues of the world!