10 January - The Holy Spirit In The World

Acts 8:14-17, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Our denomination doesn’t celebrate Epiphany the way we celebrate Christmas and Easter. But it’s just as important because it is when Jesus’ divine being was made manifest to the gentiles and this happened through the Magi; foreigners coming and seeing Jesus and knowing that Jesus was both human and divine.

Then we come to the baptism of Jesus and in the baptism it says that, after he was baptized with everyone else and was in prayer, the heavens opened and the Spirit descended like a dove and God said “I am well pleased.” This is the moment that Jesus was fully empowered for his ministry. Now, Luke writes a lot about the Holy Spirit. Before we even get to this chapter, he’s talked about Jesus being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. John and Elizabeth and Zechariah and Simeon are all filled with the Holy Spirit at various times. It even says that Jesus was growing in the Spirit. But now, with the baptism, his filled with the Spirit and empowered.

To paraphrase J.B. Phillips, every time we say: “I believe in the Holy Spirit” we are saying that we believe that the Living God can come into our lives and make a difference and help us serve others and discover our ministries. How often do we think about this every Sunday when we say the Nicene Creed? How often do we think about it when we say the Baptismal Covenant? How much do we think about it when we make promises when an infant is baptized that, yes, the Holy Spirit fills us and will fill you and we will help you to discern the Spirit and discern your call to ministry? We should.

Because we are saying the Baptismal Covenant today (because it’s a special day), I invite you to think about the Holy Spirit, when you pray that “I believe in the Holy Spirit” and think about how the Holy Spirit empowers you; how you might feel the Holy Spirit in others communicating with you and how the Holy Spirit is calling you to your ministry of serving others as Jesus served others and his Divine nature was made manifest.

Peace,

The Rev. M.E. Eccles, LPC