May 14, 2012

Acts 10:44-No sooner were these words out of Peter’s mouth than the Holy Spirit came on the listeners.

We had our spring “Day Away” last Saturday and spent some time thinking, talking and praying about the “gifts of the Spirit.” Many traditional Christians are much more comfortable with God as Father/Creator and Jesus as Son/Redeemer than they are with the Holy Spirit. However, being comfortable with God is not always a good thing. The thought that God can and does relate to us on the deepest, most personal and intimate levels of our being can be unsettling. It is helpful to remember that one of the primary ways we experience God the Holy Spirit is by recognizing that we have faith. Peter was telling these folks about what God had done through Jesus and the Holy Spirit opened their hearts to respond in faith. We don’t come to God because we are so smart or because we are such good people. We find faith in God because God in grace and mercy touches our hearts. Faith is the “gift of the Spirit” in our lives from which any and all other gifts arise. The Holy Spirit is the God of the universe, the God of the cross and resurrection, taking up residence in our lives and giving us faith, God living in and through us. How will you experience God in you this week?