From Pastor Tad
Spirit Fall
June 8th is Pentecost Sunday, making June the month of Pentecost celebrations. The family of Jesus looks forward to this season every year, because in many ways Pentecost is the day the Church was born. Pentecost was the day God fulfilled the promise in the prophet Joel to pour out the Holy Spirit upon all who belong to God. From that day on, the identifying mark of God’s kingdom family ceased to be circumcision or a family tree and became the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
This time of year, I always hear in my mind two Holy Spirit songs. The first is Daniel Iverson’s song from 1926, “Spirit of the Living God.”
Spirit of the Living God
Fall afresh on me
Spirit of the Living God
Fall afresh on me
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me
Spirit of the Living God
Fall afresh on me
The other song is “Spirit Fall” by an unknown artist.
Spirit fall un us like the rain (fall on us like the rain)
Spirit blow on us like the wind (blow on us like the wind)
Holy Spirit shine on us like the sun (like the sun)
Sanctify and heal us, make us one
For years now, we have lamented the polarization in our society. We are disheartened by the rapid degradation of civility and vanishing decency in how people treat one another. We ask what can possibly be done to reforge the bonds of friendship and basic respect for the core human dignity we all share, regardless of what we feel or believe about subjects.
The family of Jesus know who and what can pull us back from the pit of mutual self-destruction, the Holy Spirit. The issue for us is this: we, in whom the Holy Spirit already dwells, MUST make the first move to change the tone in society at large. We are commissioned as Jesus’ disciples to love our neighbors in his name. Therefore, we cannot wait for the “them” to come to us. Being willing to forgive is goo
d, but it’s practically useless if we also owe apologies too. It’s useless if the ones who owe us apologies do not come to us. But we are God’s people here and now. No one else is willing to break the logjam, so it is up to us to show our neighbors that a better way is possible.
As these two songs say, we need to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s renovation. If we are to take the lead in healing our nation, we must ourselves be healed, even remade, reformed according to God’s good purpose. The Spirit is wild, beyond our control, and will move us to things we cannot imagine on our own.
The good news is the Holy Spirit equips and empowers us to whatever job we need to do. When we are brave and say, “I’m sorry” and “I forgive you” at the same time to the same person, God’s Holy Spirit is there. By the Spirit’s power, we will be kept safe, even if the other regards us with contempt. What is more, the Holy Spirit is already at work even in the hearts of those who do not follow Jesus. When we step out in trust, it’s amazing how the outcome we fear is not what comes to pass. It’s amazing how often something better than we expect occurs. The more we allow God’s Spirit to work within us, the more we can see other people the way God sees them… and ourselves.
This Pentecost season, may we open ourselves anew to the wild and wonderful presence of the Spirit of God. May we open our hearts, not only for our own salvation and our own benefit, but also for the renewal of our neighborhoods, our colleagues, classmates, and potentially our [former] adversaries. May we be changed, melted, molded, sanctified, and healed; and ultimately ONE in our heavenly Father.