The Presence of the Holy Spirit in Your Life
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
-Acts 2:1-4
The Bible paints a powerful image of what happened on the morning of Pentecost. The disciples obeyed Jesus’ instruction to wait until power had come upon them. Scripture doesn’t tell us if they knew what they were waiting for. Then on one seemingly ordinary morning, perhaps shortly after breakfast, some of the group may be at their morning prayers. Some had probably started the work of the day when this amazing moment happens. There is a sound of something rushing through the room, making a sound like the wind. The sound is loud enough that people outside came to see what was happening. The disciples see something that looks like fire on each of their heads. People start speaking and understanding different languages. The disciples become empowered and emboldened to take their faith to the streets, and the world is forever changed.
We learn many things in this story, including ways to understand the Spirit. Since the Spirit doesn’t have a physical form, people have used images in Bible stories like a dove and the wind to represent the Spirit. One of these that has always impacted me is fire. Fire provides so many benefits in our lives, such as warmth and light. Still, fire is one of the most dangerous phenomena in our world. Fire fundamentally changes everything it touches, leaving something else behind.
That’s an important way to understand the work of the Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit is an essential part of our faith, as the enduring presence of God in each of us and throughout the world. The Holy Spirit gives our spiritual gifts, comforts us, and intercedes for us. Understanding some of that work, it’s easier to see why it’s impossible to remain the same after the Spirit touches your soul. We’ll still be human, and we’ll still sin. However, we see, understand, and do things differently. We recognize and understand God in our world differently. Just like the disciples on that blessed morning, there is something fundamentally different about who we are.
As you look to Pentecost this year, appreciate the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Be thankful for how the loving, sustaining presence of God has fundamentally changed you. Let it continue to burn away impure and unhelpful things in your life. If you feel that you may not be that different or you wonder how the Spirit is at work in your life, talk to Pastor Jenn or me about it. Be thankful for how the Holy Spirit has changed you, and pray to see the Spirit’s movement in new ways in your life and ministry.
Pastor Scott
