Acts 2:1-11
“Come Holy Spirit we pray And kindle in us the fire of your love” The disciples wait in lockdown and isolation , waiting for the promise from Jesus, the promise of the Holy Spirit who will make all things new again. Today, this day, the world waits, stressed out, fed up with injustice, full of violence, prejudice and hate. Waiting for a righteous leader to come, for justice to be done. For the cries to be heard and acted upon. What language could they hear to make them understand? ….And then a violent wind comes into the room like a hurricane, not gentle and meek but strong enough to knock down all the protective barriers. This is the Holy Spirit, who empowered the disciples living in fear to speak out in languages that only others could really understand. The language the Holy Spirit speaks is love, forgiveness and understanding. He blows the wind upon us with the wind of fire to speak out in love with a truth that will lead others to understand they are loved . It is only here in the place of knowing you are loved that we can ever see the world of darkness changed. Open up your heart and let the Holy Spirit come ignite within you the living flame of God's love. We pray ; “Fill us , Holy Spirit with all of you. Empty us of all judgments, fears and ideas that are against your truth. Let the fire of your love be stronger than any other thought and words that we may speak. Let us speak in your language so others will understand what they are longing to hear. We trust that by your Spirit we will be transformed and that the world may be changed. ...Pause and be filled with God's spirit...feel the warmth of this love burning inside you.. “ Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.” John 16:13, 20:19-23
“This is the air I breathe Your holy presence living in me” As we approach Pentecost Sunday let’s take time to breathe. Just breath , slowly, deeply awaiting the Holy Spirit with every breath. Become aware of your thoughts these past days . What has been the most predominant thought that has captured your attention? Allow those thoughts to go down a stream that flows into the river. The river is the Holy Spirit of life that Jesus breathed upon his followers. This river knows no end, it’s the flow of truth, peace and forgiveness. The Holy Spirit makes a way where there seems to be no way and brings the mysteries of truth into our very beings. Pentecost is a part of the cycle of life with five moments as Fr Rolheiser writes. “Good Friday, life is lost; Easter, new life is received; forty days, adjusting to a new presence of Jesus; At the ascension,a letting go of the Jesus they once had; at Pentecost , they receive a new spirit for life they are now living” Recognize where you are in the moments of life cycles. Are you accepting your own death, receiving new life, grieving your losses, letting go of the past? Open up your hearts wider as you take in the Holy Spirit with every breath into the actual life that you are now living. Who is Jesus for you today? Let’s pause to pray; Creator God, would you make a wider space in us to receive The gift of your Holy Spirit today, Jesus , we desire and choose to follow you, Lead us into the life you have prepared for us So we may know you more , love you intimately and see the world around us with your compassion and grace. Holy Spirit, fill us with the breath of Jesus to forgive ourselves and others. To allow the presence of your peace to be a fragrance wherever we go. And to accept the grace and love we need into our hearts with every breath we take.” Amen I wake up to a white outside my window where the sky and sea blur together into one great expanse. There is only a vaporous mist that surrounds everything I normally see, the trees have faded and rooftops are scarcely recognized.
It’s a little unsettling to the soul when you cannot delineate between what you know is there but has not yet appeared. It’s the same window but a very different view when the fog comes so thick to white out everything that is usually seen. There is uncertainty everywhere now in this pandemic . Is it sweeping across our land again more voraciously than before as people come out of shelter we ask? How do we re-enter into a new normal and try to find a rhythm that makes sense ? What can we expect when we start to gather again in groups? It feels awkward and stressful not knowing what is expected and what is appropriate in these different surroundings . How do we stand on this slippery ground now with God? He who created the earth, sky and sea and holds all things together. He who has cupped the wind in the hollow of the hand, who bound up the waters in a cloak. He who has established the ends of the earth. Shall we fall into despair or place our feet upon the rock that is higher, a more solid ground to stand on? Pause and let God's presence settle upon you . “Lord we ask for you to make us sure in the uncertainty, Unmovable as the earth is shaken, Settled in unsteady times. May we have your eyes within to see that which is unseen and to know that which is unknown. Make our souls a resting place now for your glory as you prayed, That we would all be one , completely one as the love of the father is in Jesus and Jesus you are in us. You give us your glory and this presence surrounds us like the mist we find ourselves in by the sea today . Hold us here and let us feel this oneness with the trinity. Help us to relax into the confines of the unknown when fears arise. Calm the places in our souls with your loving presence . When we cannot see what is ahead, lead us to the rock that is on a higher ground and take us deeper into that which is most real , most true, and that which is wholly you. Amen My heart overflows with blessing.
Blessing is a gift , it’s unearned grace , a state of being . Even in the darkest place God commands a blessing, he awaits with a gift to give you. This gift is oneness. A oneness that is shared between the Creator and the Son and the Holy Spirit. As Jesus prays in his final hour he asks the Father to give us three gifts. The gifts of protection , joy and holiness. (John 17) Today I choose blessings in place of sadness. Blessing instead of judgment and negativity. Blessings to receive and blessings to give. Pause to pray Lord, we come to you the giver of life and protection , Jesus the giver of holiness to follow you and Holy Spirit the giver of joy. We lay down our own agenda that is contrary to yours and with open hands and hearts we receive your blessing this day. May we see others as one with you. May our hearts overflow with your blessing. To give and not hold back. May we touch the earth with the souls of our feet To be grounded in all of creation. May we have the freedom to express this wonderful other worldly joy freely given. With a smile, a kind gesture and extravagant love. For you are holy and our hearts long for you. To you be all the glory and honor this day. Amen My cup overflows with blessings as I wake up to beauty outside my window. I relax into the arms of my pillow . Arms of dwelling in a safe place and knowing a God that loves me and anoints me with the fragrance of the Holy Spirit .
Gratitude wells up deep within as I stay here in this place . He anoints me! Jesus the one who died and suffered and now holds all of the suffering of this world . He fills me ! My cup overflows with blessings . I imagine holding a small cup before him and he fills it to the brim . But what kind of cup does he really want to fill for me today? Is it this small, minute unimportant cup that he sees? Or is it an expansive never ending space that he wants to fill and fulfill until there isn’t any more space but to overflow and continue to flow. His love and blessings know no boundaries so why should I? I stretch out my cupped hands holding them up before my Lord now and await his presence . “You, Oh God, are an unending source of all I could ever need . I await for your presence , the Holy Spirit to fill me . I allow you to come and give to me what you chose for me this day . I accept this love and life that you fill me with. Help me this day to attend to the flow of your spirit within me. May I find you in everything and carry the fragrance of kindness to all I meet. I offer up my life as a cup for you to fill and overfill. May I not try to contain it by living in fear anymore. I will follow you in freedom with arms raised high . Blessed be your name , Jesus.” Amen We are living now in between our sheltered in time and our coming out time . Jesus tells his very own that he is going away in John16 and that they would be scattered and go through a dark valley . “ “ He anoints my head with oil “ anointing is the sign of being chosen , called , protected from harm. He gives us a part of himself , his Holy Spirit to cover us , and give us peace and courage now in this present circumstance . This is the oil that is poured out upon you today .
Receive his grace to walk through this season and know that you are never alone. Pause now and still your scattered self to pray. “Lord we bring our full selves to you this day and be still enough to allow you with your loving, caring hands to anoint our heads with the oil of the Holy Spirit . Seal us with your courage to face the day and fill us with the peace of your presence to dwell in us. We rest in this wonderful knowledge that we are never alone, that you have and will conquer the world . So we can say we fear no evil thing and all will be well. Let us live in the anointing of your spirit this day.” Amen The prepared table of the Lord is waiting for me. And where is this table ? In the midst of my fears.
How could this be? It seems that anyone would want to flee as far away from fear as possible to be safe and yet this is exactly where God's table is. And He bids us all to come and dine and be with Him at the table of the three, Father , Son and Holy Spirit . We are invited here to share in the prepared feast. “Stay with me” , Jesus says, “won’t you stay a while with me.” Pause and be here awhile in prayer; Breathe deeply and become aware of God's presence with you and your fears. See the green grass that surrounds you to nourish your soul . Let all your fears fade away far like vanishing mist. We pray, “Jesus, our shepherd , you have gone before us to make a way through your very suffering and death for us to receive grace and peace in the middle of our fears . Our hearts are overwhelmed with this gift of sacrificial love . Lord, may we in turn know that we are more than conquerors in you and seated with you in the heavenly realm. Help us to see our world with this higher perspective and not to be over anxious when we encounter darkness. To see that you have already raised us up with you to stand on mountains. We ask for all of those that are facing troubles right now that they will receive your peace and strength this day . May we all have the courage to see ourselves with the authority already given to rule in your kingdom. May your kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven. Amen Grace, I wake up to the awareness that there is a hand of grace waiting for me to grab hold of this day. After a night of unrest, concerns whirling around in my head I see a light that beckons me to reach up out of the darkness, out of the muck of wrong thinking and grab a hold of the goodness of God.
Receive His hand of grace as we pray, “Jesus, good shepherd in you I lack nothing for I have you Lord and you are enough. I feel stuck today in some worries and fears of what is to come, what may happen to the ones I love. Help me to see your extended hand reaching out for me to grab a hold of grace. The grace that allows me to receive the peace you provide for me and all of the abundance laid out on the table before me. May I share this hope of your goodness to others that are stuck in the muck of darkness. Give hope and strength to all of the small businesses around our town and communities that are struggling to reopen and survive. May they believe in you and see your hand of provision reaching out to them. You are the creator and work wonders beyond our imaginations. Our hearts overflow with your love and goodness.” Amen God Morning,
I meant good morning, as I wrote God morning I stopped before correcting this typo. God Morning, yes this is God's morning, this is His day for me to join in His mission and plan for me today. Maybe we all could just take a pause and look at our mistakes as invitations? How would that change the way we live a resurrected hope filled life? Peace Jesus breathed upon his disciples before he left them for a second time. But this time he leaves his very presence upon them by breathing the Holy Spirit, His Holy Spirit upon them. This is His very life and spirit that he gives us to live in the peace of his presence. His peace becomes our peace. Stop and think about where you lack peace. What are you missing? Is there an invitation to look at your shortcomings and turn them into a place of acceptance to receive mercy and grace? We pray.... “Jesus, we thank you again for the table of grace you have laid out before us. May we be nurtured and replenished with your food of peace. Perfect peace. Fill us up with the power of this peace in our hearts so we may bring your words of peace to those around us this day. Help us to accept all as gifts, even our mistakes and may we find you there as the giver of these gifts for us to draw near without fear and live wholeheartedly in each present moment.” Amen Pause and remember all of the good gifts God has given to you.
Breathe in his breath of peace into your inner being. Let him fill your hunger and quench your thirst as we pray. “ God we thank you for your son Jesus that has made a way for us to come to your table of the trinity and dine with you. Spirit of truth, may we receive every gift we need today and not shy away from the hard realities that are before us. May our hearts overflow with your love and presence to bring your words to others and be your hands and feet. Today we ask for more …..( speak out what is in your heart ) and we lift up ……(who is on your heart) and we thank you that your heart is for us and all of your creation . Bring your wholeness and hope in the world this day we pray.” Amen |