Showing the Spirit
At a clergy retreat, I once asked a fellow priest what his church was like. He said that his parish had two groups of people. He raised both hands high in the air, turned his face to the heavens, closed his eyes, and swayed gently. “That’s the first group,” he said. Then, he clasped his hands together flat, reverently bowed his head, and became very still. “That’s the second group.” His parish is not atypical of Anglican parishes.
Different Expressions, Same Spirit
Though we have a basic worship style and pattern, and we affirm the same Faith, we are different in our expressions of devotion, service, and worship. We are different in our spiritual gifts. We are different in what mission and service ministries we are passionate about. We are different in worship because our forms of worship are shaped by previous, powerful experiences of God, but that’s a good thing! The same Spirit shows himself in different ways, revealing Christ and conforming us to his image. St Paul wrote to the Corinthians in his first Epistle,
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Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12.4-7
What a beautiful picture of one Spirit empowering many members of one Body in many activities and manifestations, all for the “common good.” It is this essential unity that guides and empowers the diverse gifts.
Spirit-Driven Benefits in Our Lives
I have the privilege of hearing from folks in this parish and listening as you share your experience of the Holy Spirit’s presence in worship and daily life. There is a common depth of devotion among us, even if we express it differently. I am also amazed at the different ways in which his presence was made real to each one and how different the outward expression of that presence looked.
Some people passionately describe how our regular, ordered worship provides them with peace and freedom to rest in God’s presence. Others say our flexibility and openness to the Spirit refresh and renew them. One person shares how our written prayers refresh her soul with depth, reverence, and sound theology. Others talk of how our spontaneous prayers affirm to them that we are listening to the Spirit in real-time and open to what God is doing right now; both affirm that the Spirit is at work, revealing Christ.
The Spirit Working in His People
Some folks are passionate about reaching out to the broken, others about training up our children, and still others to strengthen our organizational structures. The Holy Spirit gifts people with words of knowledge, hospitality, and spirit-led care ministries. Dedicated teams exist solely for healing prayer and to prepare the altar for worship. Others are busy preparing teachings and sermons, while still more are volunteering and giving to support outreach ministries. And yet, in all this, the same Spirit is at work. He keeps showing up!
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
Ephesians 4.11-13
This week, I want to encourage us to celebrate what the Holy Spirit is doing in and through others. Temptation arises only to recognize the Spirit’s manifestation in similar ways to our experience, gifts, or ministries. It’s a good thing to talk to each other and to hear how God is at work.
Fruit of the Spirit: Witness for Christ
The fruit of the Spirit shows forth in devoted love for Christ and self-sacrificing love for others. It’s not always easy to communicate our hearts, but as we hear others bear testimony of Christ and living faith, we can see the Spirit. Our common devotion to him manifests a common mission and a shared sense of his presence. As we talk to each other, we discern the different ways in which he is comforting, transforming, and empowering us. And together, we are one body, able to serve in many ways.
Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash
Today in the Spirit: Proper 24C
At Proper 24C, the Church assigns another parable of Jesus for the benefit of his disciples, found only in Luke. Luke 18:1-8 is the parable of the persistent widow. Our Lord tells a short story of a woman stalking an unjust judge to insist that he give her justice in a case against an adversary….
Today in the Spirit: Advent 1C
In Year C, the Gospel of Luke will be our guide, emphasizing themes in that book such as life in the Holy Spirit, the place of prayer in our discipleship, global mission, God’s concern for the poor, and his judgment on the rich who are found abusing the poor.
