Come Holy Spirit, come!
Come, Holy Spirit Come! Such is the cry of the faithful in times such as these. Come, Holy Spirit, Come! On this day of Pentecost when the Church recalls that blessed moment in history when God poured out the Holy Spirit and brought to life a way of being that would ultimately be called Christianity, Believers the world over are calling again on the power and presence of God’s Holy Spirit to come, renew, refresh, revive, and rejuvenate the church so that we may stand faithful in trying times.
The times indeed are challenging but they are not necessarily the worst that the Church has ever faced in the two-millennia history of Christianity that has helped frame and define our modern world. What is real is the fact that many of us today are experiencing cataclysmic shifts in the world that few could have imagined a generation ago. What better time to call on the Holy Spirit to come and transform our world?
The challenge of calling on the Holy Spirit is that it flows where God sends it—not necessarily where faithful Christians ardently believe it should go. The Spirit defies doctrine, transforms history, reinterprets scripture, and vibrantly adapts to a rapidly changing world. The Spirit provides wisdom when partisan politics promote ignorance. The Spirit breathes peace as the unfaithful rally behind war. The Spirit blows for equality as the world seeks to inhale the toxic atmosphere of discrimination and exclusion. The Spirit fuels mutual understanding as the demonic forces of the world seek to proclaim hate and fear.
The ultimate beauty of the Spirit is the beautifully wonderful diversity in its glorious manifestations. For some, it may be akin to the ‘still small voice’ that transformed Elijah’s faith and for others it could be the mysterious chariot of fire that carried Elijah into heaven. Moses encountered the Spirit through the power of a raging inferno which would not consume the bush engulfed in flame and the disciples met that flame as tongues of fire resting on their heads amid the torrent of a loud and violent wind on Pentecost!
The Spirit is the fuel of faith. It inspires, transforms, renews, and blesses in pure and powerful ways. Yet, what the Spirit does not do is cause harm, cultivate hate, promote fear, call for violence, withhold grace, or degrade humanity. Christ calls the Spirit a helper, an advocate, a counsel for the good. The spirit is a direct heart and soul connection to our Creator who made us, loves, us, and seeks to better us in a life of faith.
By the same spirit, one may speak in tongues and the other find the wisdom to interpret God’s prophetic miracle. By the same spirit, one may find the creative spark to create a work of beauty, poetry, or music, and by the same spirit others may uncover the hidden secrets of scientific discovery, mathematical precision, and engineering advancement. By this Spirit one may discern how to help – or perhaps not help someone in need. The Spirit is the ‘still small voice’ that intercedes in the thoughts and consciousness of evil people to convict them of their wrong, while simultaneously strengthening those who innocently suffer from the sins of others.
Today, on this Pentecost Sunday, it is right for the Church to boldly cry out, “Come, Holy Spirit, Come!” Yet, it is more than just a prayer for God to take away the hatred, division, rancor, violence, and needless death that destroys everyone’s humanity. It is a call for each of us to be open to wherever, and whatever, the Spirit leads. Ours is not to demand where it shall go, but simply be ready to catch the wind of its power and see the world become a better place for all!
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Come Holy Spirit, come!
