The Spirit is poured upon us from on high. - Isaiah 32:15
In the church calendar, this Sunday is the day to remember and reflect upon the grace of our Savior in the sending of the Holy Spirit. You can read the account in Acts 2. However, the Old Testament is filled with references to the work of the Spirit, both His activity amongst the people of God in those days as well as promises and prophecies of a greater work to come. That greater work began at Pentecost. In Means of Grace, Fleming Rutledge offers this meditation on the work of the Spirit, particularly as revealed in the prophet Isaiah.
The thing to notice in all of Isaiah’s passages about the work of the Spirit of God is that God’s power alone is able to make restoration possible. We human beings cannot do this by ourselves. There is no true justice, righteousness, or peace unless it is given by God. All of us who have safe beds to sleep in should be thanking God every hour of the day. The “quiet resting places” that God promises are not our due; we are not entitled to them; they are his gift, the outpouring of his Spirit. If you and I are resting or shirking or slacking, his Spirit is nevertheless on the move with somebody else somewhere else, for “behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4). God is always accomplishing his purposes…
Where is the Holy Spirit at work in the church and the world today? There are significant challenges occurring around the world - civil rights, climate change, torture. Each of us must discern the signs of the times and make a decision. Not to make a decision is to make one. Whither blows the Spirit of God?
Maybe you are not up for considering global issues right now. Maybe you had a hard time just getting out of bed this morning. Maybe your marriage is on the rocks. Maybe someone you love is gravely ill. Maybe you are worried about your future. Maybe you are tired of the role you feel you have to play in order to measure up to somebody else’s expectations. Maybe your faith is exhausted. Here’s a message for you today.
You are not saved by your spirituality or by your anything else. You have been and you will be saved by God. The Holy Spirit of God is your friend. The Holy Spirit is the love of God reaching out for you when you are too depressed, or too angry, or too tired to reach out. The Holy Spirit is the power of God to set you on your feet when you feel you cannot stand up. Forget your own spirituality. We are talking about God today, the one that created the universe yet comes to you personally and intimately with an everlasting and unconditional love whether you believe it or not.
O God, who on this day did teach the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Savior, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
