Before
I begin I thought you might appreciate a word of explanation or even warning.
This message is not a typical sermon- it is a letter. Some might call this creatively
challenging. Others may consider this
message passionately presumptuous.
Listen and decide for yourself. And
yes, I wrote this. It is an original piece.
Let
us pray…Now, O Lord, take my lips and speak
through them; Take our minds and think through them; Take our hearts and set
them on fire with love. Amen.
To
my precious dear ones at Ridge,
I
write you to remind you that I am. I
always have been and will always be.
Once
upon a time when nothing but a chaotic formless, dark voice covered the world..
there I was in the midst. Breathing out
life, order, and unity with the wind of holy breathe. Ione exhale from me dispels darkness and
illuminates life; separates waters to create sky and land; fills the land with
growing things, and then pouts stars, moon, and planets in their places. A word spoken by me fills the waters and land
with living creatures, and creates humanity in our image. All of it good.
Since
that one upon a time, eons ago in your time lie, I have not stopped. I am still here. I move where I will. Untame.
Wild. Clever. You cannot know everything about me. You
cannot see me. I am too vast. To grand.
So immense. Yet, you can feel and
experience my impact. It attempting to
measure the size of the universe is daunting then you have not yet encountered
the reality of eternal existence.
Yet
no matter how vast or grand…my best dwelling place is within the human will,
soul, heart, mind, and strength. You
were made for me to dwell within.
Remember I helped make Abraham’s pulse race and I quickened the child
within Sarah’s womb. I burned in a bush
by Moses and hardened Pharaoh’s heart. I was the cloud by day and the smoking
pot by night for four years of desert wandering. I was in Joshua’s trumpet blast and Deborah’s
victorious battle cry. I got Samuel up
on his feet to anoint Soul as king over Israel.
And the prophets…all of them Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Ezra-Nehemiah, Daniel Hosea, Joel, Amos all the way to Malachi…we were all very
close. They told the words I whispered
in their ears. They knew me and I knew
them.
Who
do you think whispered in the ears of the stargazing magi? I was the voice Simeon and Anna heard in the
temple say, “This is the One! God is
indeed nearer than ever before!” And
later when His ministry was about to begin I was in the wings of the dove at
the River Jordan when he came up out of the waters.
Do
you remember me now?
Do
you know who I am?
He
told you I would come. The
One-Who-Is-God-With-Us said that I would be coming…and that you could know me
as counselor, advocate, comforter. I am
activity and movement because I convict, challenge, comfort, counsel, advise,
remind, remember, teach, give power, offer truth and pray. Remember Jesus said to all of you that it
would to your advantage. It is your
blessing that I would come…especially after he returned to his place of
honor. I remain.
When
I came the wind blew, fire flickered, and voice spoke languages they did not
know so that praises would be shared, good news given, and love expressed. I stirred more than hearts. I opened floodgates. It rained, thundered, poured and stormed
supernatural power that Pentecost day.
Souls of good folk where soggy and saturated with my fiery fuel.
Because
you see, I am not lukewarm, passive or submissive. I dare mountains. I taunt oceans. I bring courage to the weak. I am power. I am conviction.
I
am not a charismatic freak. I am not a
religious extremist. Nor am I flighty
and unglued. I am not a magic wand or fairy pixie dust. I am not moody nor mentally ill.
No,
I am God. I am holy.
And
I refuse to be neglected and forgotten.
That
Bible you read or refer to when it suits your fancy, I inspire the people who
wrote it. More than that I am available
today to fuel your passion and creativity as well as tomorrow’s tomorrow so
that you can make sense of what is in your dusty Bible book. But do you ask me? Do you seek me? Do you ever invite me into a conversation?
No,
you barely give me a nod of recognition.
As if I am an afterthought.
I
seem to be the forgotten of the sacred Three.
But
if you read and understood your Bibles; if you poured over the stories and
notice the thread of my activity within church history then… then you would
realize that you can always expect great things from me. I deliver.
I show up… and when I do I bring only the best!
If
you look closely at those ragtag disciples, every one of them was unworthy,
inept, and prone to do stupid (sounds familiar?!). Doesn’t matter whether they had education or
not; what their age or stage of life was; doesn’t matter the style of their
hair or set of designer sandals on their feet… they are made of the same stuff
you are. Clay. Decaying bits of plants
and animals. Dirt and Dust. But, oh dirt dust with the very breathe of
Life blown in.
In
spite of what those first followers were like…notice what happened after I
showed up. When the full-disclosure of
my presence filled them…when I dug deep roots in their hearts…when they open my
minds to the robust reality of my life-giving presences… wow- no wonder fire
alarms blared and people thought they were intoxicated!
You
realize that the disciples’ experience is available to you? You may be from clay but you also made to be
a temple a sanctuary a refuge of my presence.
My home is within the dust of the stars and within you (Romans 8:9. I Corinthians 6:19-20).
How
sad when you choose to put trash into yourself rather than me. Load up on junk food and junk faith. Empty
calories and empty conversations…
When
I do dwell within you, you cannot help but experience the difference. Where I hang out there is a bumper crop of
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and
self control. (Gal 5:22-23) Do you see what the fuel of my fiery presence
did to the first followers? Their
courage. Their conviction. Their perseverance. They were a mess before me. It is because of me that they succeeded when
they should not have or when all odds were stacked against them. The movement’s success was not about dumb
luck or human ingenuity – the success was because of me…and what I added to the
lives of those who follow Jesus.
And
if I can do that for folks who has so little compared to you…. Think about what
I can do for you. What I can do within
your life? Consider how I can strengthen
the seedling of faith within your heart into a mighty oak!
I
am puzzled and grieved you do not expect more of me. Or ask me. Why don’t you
invite me into your life at every moment?
Why don’t you trust me to do what I am here to do?
I
know your thoughts. I get the sense you
are afraid because you are unsure if I can be trusted. Or you fear because you think I may ask too
much of you. Or ask you to give up your
illusion of control. Hang on- allow me
to comfort your mind.
I
can give you courage to move through any and all fear. I may not be tame, but I do not bite. I really do not want to you to hide on the
periphery of what a full, abundant life in Jesus would be. Please remember, above all else, I pray for
you. Yes, me. I am praying for you right now. And when you’re in traffic; when the kids
drive you crazy; and when you are overwhelmed; and when you are confused; and
when you are laughing so hard your sides ache; and when you are crying alone in
the shower. I pray for you.
For
am I the gentle breeze on your cheek; the flicker of the flame in the candle
you light at night. I am the stirring of
your mind to find another path through a tough situation.
I
am that near because I love you.
But
we could be and can be closer. Invite me
in…
Never,
ever forget me- because I can never forget you.
All
my love and prayers,
The
Holy Spirit, the third of the Sacred Three
