Dear friends in Christ,
We’re coming up on our annual celebration of the Day of Pentecost, when we give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit in the church.
My sense is that we have domesticated the Holy Spirit. When something happens in the church that we like, we may say, “The Holy Spirit was here.” And that may well be true! But if we read the scriptural accounts of the Spirit’s arrival, people are almost always pushed into places that might not have otherwise gone.
The Holy Spirit does not bless the status quo, but rather leads us to the places beyond our imagining to which God calls us.
So, by all means, let’s celebrate the gifts of the Spirit! And then let us open our hearts and our lives to be led to places we might fear to tread. Lord knows the church needs some shaking up!
Jesus has promised that the Spirit will lead us in all truth, but that requires us to get our own agendas out of the way. Let us pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, come. Take our minds and think through them. Take our lips and speak through them. Take our hearts and set them on fire with love for you.
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
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More from our ministry:
Consider contemporary challenges of the church: Signs of Life
From Grow Christians: When the stakes seem high
Wealth and poverty through a surprising lens: The Unjust Steward
Where is the Spirit leading you? Discern with My Way of Love