Stirring Up the Holy Spirit

I told you last week that Easter was my favorite day of the church year. A close second is Pentecost because I’m a big fan of the Holy Spirit.

I feel like the Holy Spirit is the middle child of the Trinity. God the Father and Jesus the Son get all the attention. From the time we are little we learn to pray the Our Father and join our fellow Vacation Bible School buddies in a rousing rendition of “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.” But what about the Holy Spirit? As a kid I remember being kind of afraid of the Holy Spirit. The images of fire, wind, and doves made me think of Alfred Hitchcock not my Advocate, my Counselor, or the power of the risen Christ that is available to us.

Then as a sixth grader I was taught about the Holy Spirit again in preparation for Confirmation but I remember being more concerned about picking a cool Confirmation name than realizing what life transforming power was at my disposal.

It wasn’t until I had a spiritual awakening in my thirties that I seriously began my search for a better understanding of the Holy Spirit. And to my surprise and awe the first thing I realized was that you don’t have to search at all. It’s right inside of you. You don’t have to acquire it, you just have to make room for it.

You have to stir it up. Think about it this way, we are a glass of white milk. The Holy Spirit is the Hershey’s chocolate. At Baptism and again at Confirmation we are given a squirt of the Holy Spirit. It’s our choice to leave it in a lump at the bottom of our glass or stir it up and become a delicious glass of chocolate milk! So how do we stir up the Holy Spirit that dwells in us?

We put our relationship with God on the front burner. We seek out people and places that feed us spiritually. We spend more time in prayer. We discern our spiritual gifts. We intentionally say yes to growing in our faith. We look for the Divine in our everyday experiences. The list goes on and on. It’s not as complicated as you think.

So for the next couple of weeks in my blogs I’m going to tell you about my life with and in the Holy Spirit and I hope you will share your stories with me too.

Jesus said to his disciples before he ascended to heaven, “In a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Acts. 1:5,8) Their lives were never the same. That same promise is waiting for you and me.

Are you looking to stir up the Holy Spirit? Come visit us at Firstfruits.

Tuesday, April 17 we are having a mini retreat day. One of the morning break out sessions is entitled Come Spirit Come. I’m just saying……

Spoons available upon request!

Joan