Whenever I ask that question, I get some interesting
responses.
Some people expect power: a sense of personal, internal, and
emotional empowerment that compels them to overcome all kinds of things—evil
and temptation within themselves and in society itself.
Some people expect a kind of personal or material prosperity
that comes as divine reward for making all the “right” decisions at all the
“right” times—which in itself is seen as kind of divine blessing.
Some people expect a kind of moral steadfastness that comes
from never giving in to weakness; by always adhering to the right moral
standards in every situation and with a kind of moral certitude that knows when
everyone around them is living up to God’s way of doing things—and when they’re
not!
Some people expect that they will have, thanks to this new
gift of the Holy Spirit, insight into seeing things that no one else sees, a
kind of spiritual super-sight that pierces through the blindnesses of our
particular age, and that they will somehow rise above temptation and be able to
control every outcome.
Awesome stuff, huh? And what if I told you that almost none
of this is what is, in fact, promised by the coming of the Holy Spirit? Would
you be surprised? I am! All the time!
Because time and again, I have learned (or more precisely
been shown, because I am particularly slow learner in such matters) is that
what the Holy Spirit brings us will rarely be what be what any of us expects.
If you don’t believe me, go back to the start of Jesus’
ministry when he prepares for his public ministry by forty or more days of
fasting and prayer in the desert (Luke 4:1-13). He is met by Satan who offers
him three things: material and personal satisfaction (Luke 4:3 - bread for his
hunger); personal power (Luke 4:6-7 - leadership over all the kingdoms of the
earth); and spiritual pride (Luke 4:9-11 – a desire to bend God to our will).
All of these could easily be mistaken for immense spiritual gifts… and they
just might be… just for the Wrong Side!
Popular literature shows us this truth all the time. The
Faust legend (which is portrayed in such works as The Phantom of the Opera,
The Picture of Dorian Gray, and even The Little Mermaid) shows us
someone seeking immense spiritual and personal power, and who sells his or her
soul to the devil in order to get it. In the Lord of the Rings, we see
what happens to the poor hobbit Gollum as he seeks to possess the “precious”
ring. In the Star Wars saga, especially in the original middle trilogy, we
see the results of Anakin Skywalker’s desire (as with all those caught up in
the Dark Side) to control and direct the Force instead of living into it. In an
upcoming TV limited series based on the graphic novels, Moon Knight, it
is the villain who wants to eradicate all evil everywhere by bending all people
he encounters to his perfectionistic and inflexible will, while the hero seeks
to live life under grace, which is a more ambiguous, intuitive path.
Jesus shows what it means to live life in the Spirit in John
8:1-11, where Jesus is tempted to join in the righteous condemnation of a woman
caught in adultery but instead turns the tables on her accusers by challenging
the angry righteous men to look at themselves and their own sinfulness before
casting their stones at another. In the
same way, Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well precisely at the point of
her deepest need while bridging the chasms of race, culture, tradition, and
gender that stood between them (John 4:1-42) in order for her to know the love
of the Messiah.
The gift of the Holy Spirit will surprise us time and again!
Look at what the Apostle Paul says about the surprising work of the Holy Spirit
in Galatians 5:22-23: “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against
such things there is no law.”
The Holy Spirit turns our expectations of what it means to
be faithful upside down! Instead of becoming more strident in our certainty, we
are invited to humility. Instead of being more rigid in our actions, we are
given the power to be more gracious. Instead of deciding who is more righteous,
we are given insight into the needs of others. Our understanding of perfection
changes from a persistent judgement (of ourselves and those around us) to a
growing compassion and appreciation for the people God has given us. We are
given the grace to begin to see the face of Jesus in everyone we meet.
Rather than reinforce all our prejudices, assumptions, and
biases, the promised gift of the Holy Spirit transforms us precisely because
God surprises us.
This coming Sunday, join us as we look for, find, and celebrate the surprising ways that God the Holy Spirit meets, challenges, and changes us as we celebrate the birth of the Church, baptize a new member into Christ’s Church, and renew our own baptismal vows!
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