Daily Scripture: Acts 2:1 The festival of Shavu‘ot arrived, and the believers all gathered together in one place. 2 Suddenly there came a sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire, which separated and came to rest on each one of them. 4 They were all filled with the Ruach HaKodesh and began to talk in different languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.
Hebrews 11:38 wandering about in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the ground! The world was not worthy of them!
39 All of these had their merit attested because of their trusting. Nevertheless, they did not receive what had been promised, 40 because God had planned something better that would involve us, so that only with us would they be brought to the goal.
12:1 So then, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us, too, put aside every impediment — that is, the sin which easily hampers our forward movement — and keep running with endurance in the contest set before us, 2 looking away to the Initiator and Completer of that trusting,[a] Yeshua — who, in exchange for obtaining the joy set before him, endured execution on a stake as a criminal, scorning the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.[b][Footnotes:
Hebrews 12:2 Habakkuk 2:4
Hebrews 12:2 Psalm 110:1]
Reflection Questions:We live, of course, in the portion of the stained glass window between the cross and the final tree. This part of the story began on the day of Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit has guided and energized millions of lives since. As Hebrews said, we can draw strength from the "great cloud of witnesses" that has faithfully followed God. And God calls us to join that group, to be faithful witnesses in our own lives.
Being "filled with the Holy Spirit" can seem mysterious, weird, even scary. But scholar N. T. Wright wrote, "The words for 'wind', 'breath' and 'spirit' are the same (this is true in both Hebrew and Greek). This wind is the healing breath of God's spirit, come to undo the long effects of primal rebellion." How does picturing the Spirit as "healing breath" help you better grasp the life and energy the first believers showed? How can God's "healing breath" change your life for the better?
Hebrews called us, as we live our lives, to "fix our eyes on Jesus, faith's pioneer and perfecter." Our aim for the stained glass window is that it will draw many eyes to Jesus. But what ways have you found of "fixing your eyes on Jesus" in the course of your regular, everyday life? What is one change you could make during Lent that you believe would keep Jesus in clearer focus for you?
Today's Prayer:
Holy Spirit, you are the air I breathe. Help me to grow more aware of the spiritual strength and vitality you offer me as I live each day as a faithful witness to God's love. Amen.Insight from Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group & a men’s group, and serves on the Curriculum team.
During last week’s Confirmation Class, that I co-lead with Layne Funk, we had a great discussion about the Holy Spirit. Needless to say, there were still some lingering questions. Like in today’s passages, we considered viewing the Holy Spirit as Breath, Wind, & Fire. (Say, that would be a cool band name – DL. Let’s just pretend you didn’t say that – Editor.)
But some of the young men were struggling to find another metaphor to help illuminate & understand the idea of the Holy Spirit a little better. All metaphors tend to break down if carried too far, but let’s see what we can come up with. (Don’t worry. My finger remains poised over thedelete key – Editor.)
With an audience of young men, we might try to liken the Holy Spirit to the “Force” from the Star Wars movie franchise. (Oh my. I fear we are boldly going where no man has gone before – Editor.Um, that’s Star T-r-e-k, not Star W-a-r-s – DL.) We know George Lucas deliberately included the “Force” in his movies to awaken a sense of spirituality in his young audience. But we also know the “Force” doesn’t really compare to the Holy Spirit. The “Force” is impersonal (The Bible uses personal pronouns when discussing the Holy Spirit), it can be used for good or bad (The Holy Spirit cannot contradict God.), & it is available only to a select few Jedi Knights (We all have equal access to the Holy Spirit regardless of where we are in our faith journey.). Let’s try again.
Picking up our son from basketball practice, I noticed several students solemnly walking monk-like with their heads down. Wow – probably deep in prayer or meditation. Alas, no. They were looking at their phones. Hmmm. What if we tried to compare the Holy Spirit to our smart phone?
Aside: How you can tell if someone has the new iPhone 6+? Don’t worry. They will tell you.
(What a relief. No cell phone related puns – Editor.) Do you know the real reason the buffalo died off? The roaming charges killed them. That’s like the old joke, [DELETE].Church of the Resurrection
During last week’s Confirmation Class, that I co-lead with Layne Funk, we had a great discussion about the Holy Spirit. Needless to say, there were still some lingering questions. Like in today’s passages, we considered viewing the Holy Spirit as Breath, Wind, & Fire. (Say, that would be a cool band name – DL. Let’s just pretend you didn’t say that – Editor.)
But some of the young men were struggling to find another metaphor to help illuminate & understand the idea of the Holy Spirit a little better. All metaphors tend to break down if carried too far, but let’s see what we can come up with. (Don’t worry. My finger remains poised over thedelete key – Editor.)
With an audience of young men, we might try to liken the Holy Spirit to the “Force” from the Star Wars movie franchise. (Oh my. I fear we are boldly going where no man has gone before – Editor.Um, that’s Star T-r-e-k, not Star W-a-r-s – DL.) We know George Lucas deliberately included the “Force” in his movies to awaken a sense of spirituality in his young audience. But we also know the “Force” doesn’t really compare to the Holy Spirit. The “Force” is impersonal (The Bible uses personal pronouns when discussing the Holy Spirit), it can be used for good or bad (The Holy Spirit cannot contradict God.), & it is available only to a select few Jedi Knights (We all have equal access to the Holy Spirit regardless of where we are in our faith journey.). Let’s try again.
Picking up our son from basketball practice, I noticed several students solemnly walking monk-like with their heads down. Wow – probably deep in prayer or meditation. Alas, no. They were looking at their phones. Hmmm. What if we tried to compare the Holy Spirit to our smart phone?
Aside: How you can tell if someone has the new iPhone 6+? Don’t worry. They will tell you.
- Our phone can provide us with good advice & information, like today might be the day to wear long pants to school since it is 5 degrees outside. Similarly, the Holy Spirit can serve as our counselor & teacher.
- Our phone’s GPS capabilities can help with directions, say for example, from the kitchen table to the dishwasher. Likewise, the Holy Spirit can guide us when we feel lost.
- Our phone can quickly relay a text that Mom is on her way back to school bringing your left-behind-basketball-shoes. The Holy Spirit is our comforter in times of need, too.
- Finally, considering how many times we all tap our pockets to make sure our cell phone is still there, its mere presence offers us serenity. The Holy Spirit can be a source of peace for us as well.
(What a relief. No cell phone related puns – Editor.) Do you know the real reason the buffalo died off? The roaming charges killed them. That’s like the old joke, [DELETE].Church of the Resurrection
gpsonline@cor.org
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
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