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The Gift of the Spirit

The Gift of the Spirit

No. That wasn’t a typo in the sermon series title. The series is called The Gift of the Spirit…as in The Holy Spirit. It’s true that often people get caught up more so in the gifts of the Spirit, as in what are the gifts, how are they given and any unnecessary today?

 

While those are important questions, they aren’t the most important questions when it comes to The Holy Spirit. For while we proclaim a Trinitarian faith: God, Son, and Spirit, the Holy Spirit is often the forgotten member of the Trinity. Many Christians have very little understanding or even relationship with the Holy Spirit. Given the fact that the Holy Spirit’s role has been so abused throughout church history, it is understandable He is often ignored, misunderstood, or even resisted.

 

But that is to our great deficit! The Holy Spirit is the most essential gift Jesus gave his followers before ascending to heaven. In fact, Jesus was adamant that it was good He was going away, for the very reason it meant the Spirit would come upon the Church. The Spirit makes it possible for us to know experientially the love and grace of God. The Spirit comes alongside us to guide, direct, encourage, comfort, convict, and empower as we seek to follow Jesus. He imparts gifts to us to enable us to live as Christ’s witnesses in the world. He personally reassures us we are God’s children, wholly and dearly loved. Who wouldn’t want more of that in their lives?

 

The Spirit has so much to offer the individual, the church, and the world! In fact, we can truly only be “in Christ” when we live in the Spirit. When we look closely at Scripture, we see that the Holy Spirit is not to be feared, but rather welcomed. He is, as our four-week series will show: a Good Gift, an Essential Gift, A Gift that Keeps Giving, and yes, He does also bring Gifts for us. It is my sincere hope and prayer that by the end of this series, we won’t just know more about the Holy Spirit; but will instead engage more regularly with Him for direction, wisdom, comfort, and empowerment. “Come, Holy Spirit, Come!”

Invitation to Rest

Invitation to Rest

Of all the 10 Commandments, the fourth commandment—which has the most
description of any of the commandments—is often the one we tend to disregard the most. Even
though we can recount the Genesis rhythm of “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy”,
we have very little understanding or experience with this practice. This is, in part, because most
of our experiences with this concept have been negative and have been rooted in
misunderstandings of the biblical theme of Sabbath: do nothing on Sundays; do only ‘spiritual
things’, or do it with a spirit of legalism that is oppressive and anything but life-giving.

And yet, in our frenetic pace of life, “remote work” which blurs the boundaries between
work and home, and 24/7 accessibility technologically, is it possible a better life awaits us if we
would follow God’s design? He is the Creator, after all. Isn’t it possible He actually knows how
human beings flourish best? The goal of this series is not only to discover how to keep the
Sabbath, but to appreciate how the Sabbath can keep us—holy and whole human beings, at
peace and at rest with God, ourselves, one another, and our world. Our end goal is not to
become self-righteous in how we practice Sabbath-keeping—even if we do, in the end, decide to
do that—but rather, to cultivate a spirit of restfulness regularly in our lives, enabling the Spirit’s
transformative work on our lives. Whether we choose to practice one 24-hour period of rest or
whether we incorporate windows of rest into our daily rhythm, the goal is to have a greater
appreciation for the rhythm of work and rest as designed by God for our good.

What Was I Made For?

What Was I Made For?

Any depressed philosophers out there? Have I got a book for you! Anybody facing a bit

of an existential crisis? You are not alone. Ever feel like life isn’t as clear cut and how you’d like

it to be? Keep reading!

 

Human beings have long searched for meaning in life—answers to some of our deepest

questions: What constitutes a ‘good’ life? What will truly satisfy and provide meaning to my

life? Why does there seem to be such a random nature to things? What is the purpose of life if

we’re all going to die anyway? And what role (if any) does God have in this? These questions

aren’t just for the tortured poets of our society (I see you, Swifties!). They’re for every human

being—from the first-year college student at the start of her career, to the professional facing a

mid-life crisis, to the elderly widow adjusting to the physical limitations of her age. Wouldn’t it

be great if we could hear from someone who had the answers to these questions?

 

We can! The Book of Ecclesiastes, in the Old Testament, may be an ancient book, but

the truths are timeless. In it, our Teacher—also known as The Critic—shares insights from his

own quest after quest for meaning: the pursuit of wisdom, pleasures—wine, women, and

wealth—a successful career and status, and youth and physical health. In the end, he concludes

that every one of these comes up short…a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes is a poignant and

persuasive deconstruction of what doesn’t satisfy.

 

And yet, contrary to how many people have understood the book, this doesn’t mean

that life has no meaning. The initial cry, ““Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless”

(1:1, NIV) is a bit misleading; “mere breath, a mere breath” is more accurate. Life is fleeting.

Depending on what we’re chasing, it might even be futile. But it doesn’t have to be. In fact, The

Critic would say it is only by seeing each potential substance of fulfillment for what it truly is—a

gift from God that has its limits—that we can truly find the joy and meaning we deeply yearn

for. In fact, once we embrace the cold hard truth about life, life explodes with meaning and we

can truly, “Eat, drink, and be merry” (2:24).

 

So if a little meaning or merry sounds like something you’d like, if you’re tired of empty

clichés and unsatisfying answers, join us the week after Easter Sunday for our series What Was I

Made For? We will explore some of the greatest teaching from the Bible on a life well lived. My

hope is that you, too, will find The Critic’s voice an indispensable—even if unpopular—one.

Because in the end, once all is set within its proper context and limits, we will see just why

everything matters!

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