Spirit Stuff

   Church folks often talk about the Holy Spirit as the “shy One” of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). I wonder, though, if that label says more about us — and our hesitation to say much about the Third Person of the Trinity — than it does about God the Spirit. Things of spirit or ghosts are already mysterious in and of themselves. Their very nature is elusive; when we try to grab hold of them, they slip through our imagination.

     The Spirit‑breath of God — ruah in Hebrew — hovered over the nothingness before God spoke creation into being. But what did it look like? (Gen. 1:1–2) It descended onto Jesus in the form of a dove at the Jordan in his baptism (Matt. 3:16), and as tongues of fire on the apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). So, which is it — dove, tongues, or dove‑tongues?

     As obscure as it may seem, the church actually has a robust understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit that emerges from Scripture. The Spirit is God (Matt. 28:19), attested to by divine attributes: creating (Gen. 1:2), being everywhere (Psalm 139:7–10), searching the depths of God (1 Cor. 2:10), and being eternal (Heb. 9:14). The Spirit lives in us (1 Cor. 3:16), empowers sharing the good news and preaching (Acts 2:4, 11), creates faith through hearing (1 Cor. 12:3; Rom. 10:17; Acts 2:37–42), works forgiveness through absolution (John 20:22–23), saves through the renewal of Holy Baptism (Titus 3:5), and gives gifts to the people of the church “for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:4–11).

Unity & Connection

One particular aspect of the Spirit’s work that ought to be lifted up among us here at Hope is how the Spirit connects us in the unity of shared faith in Jesus Christ. While our stories of what brought us to the greater Leech Lake area may be quite different, our unity begins through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit that dwells in us through Baptism connects us with God, empowers us to confess together, “Jesus is Lord,” and strengthens the bonds of our community through the gift we are to one another for the sake of our shared life and the common good.

One thing I’ve heard many say in recent months is, “I don’t know as many people here at Hope as I used to.” A quick review of our official church record book reveals that we have commended at least 170 members of Hope into the care of Christ through funeral services over the last 12 years.

Many of us also have friends who have relocated to be closer to family or medical care. At the same time, we’ve welcomed dozens of new individuals, households, and families who bring their own unique gifts and presence into our fellowship. Even amidst the grief of lost connections and the curiosity of unfamiliar faces, the Spirit is still at work weaving new connections throughout our community of faith — connections that bear fruit for us and for our neighbors.

I, along with others here at Hope, am actively discerning how the Spirit is calling us to deepen our bonds of connection with one another in this time and place, for the building up of the community for the common good. I invite you to join us in prayer, that together we might wonder at the creative, life‑giving movement of the Spirit among us.

“Making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism…”

(Ephesians 4:3–5, NRSV)

Pastor Matt