magazine
I will pour out my spirit on all people. Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28
Special Edition Supplement to The Church News from The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas
Spring/Summer 2013
Pouring Out the Holy Spirit 4
Making Us Capable of God The Rev. Mike Marsh
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Responding to the Voice Within Diane Thrush
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The Proclamation of Pentecost The Rt. Rev. David Reed
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A Litany to the Holy Spirit Reconciling with the Holy Spirit James Dennis, O.P.
15 3 Roles of the Spirit The Rev. Philip Cunningham
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The Discipline of Living in the Spirit Blake Coffee
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Just Breathe Catherine Lillibridge
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A Short Lesson on the Holy Spirit The Rev. Dr. John Lewis
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The Holy Spirit as Divine Reviver Sylvia Maddox
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The Girl I Didn’t Know Clara Duffy
In Every Issue 3 From the Editor 26 Opportunities 27 The Last Word
Read the magazine online at www.reflections-dwtx.org Spring/Summer 2013 Published by Department of Communications Episcopal Diocese of West Texas P. O. Box 6885 San Antonio, Texas 78209 www.dwtx.org Editor Marjorie George Communications Officer Laura Shaver Bishop of West Texas The Rt. Rev. Gary R. Lillibridge Bishop Suffragan The Rt. Rev. David M. Reed Offices are at The Bishop Jones Center 111 Torcido Dr. San Antonio, Texas, 78209 210/888-824-5387 www.dwtx.org THE CHURCH NEWS (USPS 661-790) is published six times yearly – Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept, and Nov. with 2 Special Supplement Editions in May and November by The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, P O Box 6885 San Antonio TX 78209. Periodicals postage paid at San Antonio TX. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, P. O. Box 6885, San Antonio TX 78209.
From the editor by Marjorie George
Spirit of the Moment
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e were a small group – maybe 12 of us – gathered for Maundy Thursday evening worship. We are a relatively new congregation with a young membership, and the simplicity of our worship space suits us. Unadorned limestone rock walls. Clear glass windows that offer views of the Texas landscape. Casual but not irreverent surroundings. This evening we gathered in the front two rows of chairs for prayers, a homily, and foot washing. The two youngish priests wore black cassocks, adding solemnity. They explained what would happen during the foot-washing, pointing out the straight-backed chair and the tub of water at the foot of the altar steps. A stack of fluffy towels was nearby. One of the priests fetched a kneeling pillow and set it on the floor in front of the chair. Everything was ready. No one moved. For several moments. Then one of the priests picked up a little boy, a three-year-old, and said, “Casey may I wash your feet?” Casey looked wary but did not object. Casey is normally not the adventuresome sort; he likes to have mommy in his eyesight. We all held our collective breath as the priest sat Casey in the chair and proceeded to slowly and gently remove his little sneakers, then his socks. Casey said not a word; the priest talked to him quietly, confidently, continually. We all leaned forward in our seats. On his knees in front of the chair, the priest dipped his hand into the tub of water, cupping water and pouring it over Casey’s feet. He did it again. And again. Casey was enthralled; he watched intently every move. He did not smile, but neither did he fidget.
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Gently the priest dried Casey’s feet. Now all was silence. Candles flickered. We knew we were partaking of a holy moment. Then the priest lifted Casey from the chair, set him on the floor, and off Casey ran, barefoot, toward his parents. “Mommy,” he shouted, “I got my feet washed. Just like Jesus.” It was Pentecost on Maundy Thursday. We celebrate the day of Pentecost – the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church - 50 days after Christ’s resurrection. But the Holy Spirit is not captive to any man-made calendar. He* comes to people gathered in large crowds and to a small band of followers who don’t even know what they are doing. He descends on quiet worship spaces in simple settings and on magnificent cathedrals. He shows up in joyous times and at times of deep somberness. He comes bidden and unbidden, expected and unexpected, recognized or not. We few were privileged to a first-hand encounter with holiness that evening. And we knew it. This issue of Reflections makes an attempt to communicate about the Holy Spirit. But no such effort can be complete, for the spirit is not of material nature. He cannot be adequately described or fully defined. The Holy Spirit can only be experienced, and the retelling of any holy moment is necessarily limited by human language. Our part is to keep watch, to tell the story no matter how feebly, and to invite others into the experience. That’s what the spiritual life is made of. *Throughout this issue, we refer to the Holy Spirit in the masculine only to avoid pronoun gymnastics.
Reach Marjorie at marjorie.george@dwtx.org.
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The story of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of Jesus Christ, is told in the Book of Acts, chapter 2. On that day, says Scripture, “they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability (Acts 2:1-4). In the Episcopal Church, Pentecost was celebrated this year on May 19.
Pentecost Making us Capable of God
by the Rev. Mike Marsh
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here are moments in each of our lives when we begin to hear a new language. It’s new yet echoes with familiarity. We know it through our deepest longings and desires. If fills us with hope, life, and peace. It lies hidden deep within us. It’s always been there but then one day we hear it in a new way, as if for the very first time. On that day we hear in our “native language.” It describes, reveals, and makes present the deeds of God’s power in our lives. That is the miracle and gift of Pentecost. It happens when we fall in love and find our lover’s voice does not just communicate information but speaks presence, union, and oneness. It’s that day when all of creation speaks. The birds no longer chirp but sing a song we know. The wind doesn’t just blow through the trees but now whispers stories of our future. It happens when we discover our vocation, and we know that we are living the life to which God has called us and a voice reassures us, saying, “This is your place.” It’s in moments of joy-filled creativity and we wonder, “Where did that come from? How did I do that?”
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It is the soft voice in the midst of sorrow and loss that says, “I am here. It won’t be easy but you will be ok,” and somehow we have the strength to get up and meet the next day. It is the voice of compassion that enables us to care for another. It is a word of encouragement that points the way, a word of truth that causes us to turn around, a word of peace we embody as a reconciled relationship. These and a thousand others like them are the moments of Pentecost, moments when we know God is not just with us or around us but within us, and we are somehow different – more real, more alive, more whole. These, however, are often not the story of Pentecost with which we are most familiar. Instead, we listen for a sound like the rush of a violent wind to come from heaven and fill our entire house. We look for divided tongues, as of fire, to appear and rest on us. We wait to speak in another language. Sound, tongues, and languages are how St. Luke describes the day of Pentecost. They are the images we most often associate with Pentecost, but they are not the story of Pentecost. We sometimes confuse the two, the images and the story. It’s easy to do because the images are so vivid, so powerful, so different from ordinary, everyday life. With their power, however, comes danger. The danger is that we look at these images but fail to see through them. We make the images literal, opaque, and closed rather than symbolic, transparent, and open. We allow the images to define and identify rather than point and invite. When that happens the images lose their power and purpose. They can take us nowhere, and Pentecost becomes a single event in history; unique, limited, and seemingly unavailable to us. Sound, tongues, and languages are not the keepers of Pentecost. They are the pointers to Pentecost.
When we see through these images, we find that Pentecost is happening in all times, all places, and all circumstances. We hear in our “native language.” We realize that Pentecost is not a sound like the rush of a violent wind. It is not divided tongues of fire. It is not speaking in other languages. In and of themselves sound, tongues, and languages have no significance. They are meaningless. Their meaning is found only in hearing. Hearing is what “amazed and astonished” on the day of Pentecost. They were not amazed and astonished at the sound of wind, the flaming tongues, or the foreign languages. They were amazed and astonished, asking, “How is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?” That means that Pentecost is more than sound, tongues, and languages. Those are just the images of Pentecost. I’m not suggesting the images of Pentecost are not real, but that they are more real than we know. They are the gateway to our own story of Pentecost. They empower us to open ourselves to an invisible world, to cross old boundaries, to be a different way, and to live a new life. They make us “capable of God.” Ultimately, that’s what Pentecost is about, becoming “capable of God.” That is not our doing. It is the Holy Spirit’s doing. The Holy Spirit makes us each “capable of God.” It is unique and personal to each one of us. If you want to know how you are being made “capable of God” then go to the places where you hear in your own “native language.” There you will hear the stories of God’s presence filling your life. They will be stories of love, hope, joy; stories of patience, gentleness, courage, and peace; stories of mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation; stories of wisdom, creativity, and wonder; stories of healing, life, and resurrection. continued on page 6
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Making Us Capable of God from page 5
This sermon was preached on the Feast of Pentecost at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Uvalde, TX, and is based on Acts 2:1-21.
These stories can only be heard in our “native language” for that is the language of God. Each one describes the deeds of God’s power in our lives. They are the lived stories of our Pentecost, our being made “capable of God.”
Responding to the voice within
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y education on the guidance of the Holy Spirit was finely tuned in the 12 years I spent as a hospital chaplain. All of my chaplaincy work was at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, most of it in the Children’s Hospital.
Barring a crisis, my day started out with rounds on my units beginning with the highest level of care – the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and ending with the lowest level of care – Pediactric Medicine. Interspersed with those rounds were turns being on call for the whole hospital. Depending on what was going on in a given day, I might get all of Children’s Hospital covered. More often than not, I would get stopped to tend to an emergency call such as a situation in Children’s Emergency. In between all of these situations would be regular staff team
rounds in which we discussed medical needs and psychosocial and spiritual needs. While each day began with my “check list” of things to be done, I had to learn very quickly to throw out the list to respond to the immediate needs. As I made my planned rounds, I began to notice over time that often when I got into the elevator headed for a routine call, I would feel a “nudge” to go somewhere else. I would get into the elevator thinking of the next unit on my list, only to push the button for another floor. It was a slow process of learning to respond to these prompts, which I gradually came to understand were Spirit driven. As I learned to listen and follow this guidance, this intuitive voice from within, the nudges began to increase. We all want God to speak to us in clear, enunciated words. This was not at all the case. As I
The Rev. Michael Marsh is rector of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Uvalde TX. Reach him at marshmk@stphilipsuvalde.org
by Diane Thrush grew more comfortable with these nudges, I often responded with prayers of thanksgiving – silently, if the elevator was crowded, out loud if I was alone. Usually, these prayers were accompanied by laughing – my own laughter at how wonderful it was to feel God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit and being given the grace to listen! Needless to say, I heard over and over, “How did you know to come at this moment?” Or, “You always show up at just the right time.” Many of the staff learned exactly how I came to know these moments. It was a real “showing” of God’s presence in that place.
Diane Thrush is a retired chaplain and a member of St. Luke’s, San Antonio. Reach Diane at dianewt@aol.com
The Proclamation of
Pentecost by the Rt. Rev. David Reed
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remember how surprised I was the first time I saw a picture of the headwaters of the Rio Grande, 12,000 feet above sea level in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, a small stream of clear water, fed by snowmelt, just beginning its 1,800-mile journey to Brownsville. I grew up in Brownsville, at sea level, where the river is wide, slow-moving, and muddy as it enters the Gulf of Mexico at Boca Chica Beach. At the headwaters it was the same river, but so different, so unassuming at the start, from the river I knew as a boy.
I think of that when I celebrate our annual Feast of Pentecost, standing 2,000 years downstream from the event which birthed the Church, and set it on its journey and mission. Powerful and lifechanging as that day of the Holy Spirit was, it was still relatively small and localized: it happened in Jerusalem, and the Spirit came like wind and fire upon the disciples and then to others gathered there that day. Probably no one went home that day and announced they’d witnessed the birth of Christianity or said they’d experienced the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Who would stand beside continued on page 8
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The Proclamation of Pentecost from page 7
a pretty little stream in Colorado and, without prior knowledge, foresee a great river affecting millions of lives across several centuries? When St. Luke is writing his account of Pentecost in Acts (Acts 2:1-11), what is he seeing? What does he make of the Holy Spirit’s invasion on that day? I think he sees it, and the early Church understood it, as evidence that whatever the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ mean, they are a truth and a reality of unending significance, pressing outward through time and geography. That is, the sending of the Holy Spirit means that the Good News of Jesus is not just for a particular time and place, not for a particular people and nation. That’s why Luke is so careful to tell us of all the people gathered in Jerusalem that day “from every nation under heaven.” Jesus had opened up a way (and now will always open up a way) for a new kind of life, a new depth and fullness of living for those who choose to follow him on that way. In our weekly confession of faith (usually the Nicene Creed, but the Apostles’ Creed at the Daily Office, baptisms, and confirmations), we affirm that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. As with most Christian doctrine, it was the experience and faith of early Christians that led to the articulation in the Nicene Creed: “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and Son he is worshiped and glorified.” The Church’s experience of the Holy Spirit from Pentecost onward has been that, by the power of the Spirit, through “living in the Spirit,” the person of Jesus is accessible, present, and powerfully life-transforming. The work of the Spirit is the work of Jesus Christ because the Holy Spirit is the on-going presence of the crucified, risen, and ascended Son of God. The Spirit is sent, not as some lesser messenger boy on an errand from God, but as the presence and power of Christ himself. When we do things that look like the work of Jesus, then we can be sure we’re living in the Spirit.
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Spirit in the Hebrew Scriptures is not a person or a definite thing. Rather it is a way of describing how God is active in his creation, and maybe particularly in individuals who fulfill his purposes.
The New Testament and the early Church seem particularly concerned with the relationship of the Spirit to the Church and to the mission. Even St. Paul’s consideration of “gifts of the Spirit” bestowed on individuals (I Corinthians 12 and elsewhere) is primarily about the working out and use of those gifts for the sake of the whole community of faith and the Church’s mission. The Spirit gathers the Church into being, and the Spirit sends the Church to do the Kingdom work of Jesus. (We certainly have plenty of opportunity to practice what we preach about the Spirit—this is the pattern of our worship: gathered and sent.) Theologian Emil Brunner wrote, “The Church exists by mission as fire exists by burning.” We cannot truly and faithfully be one without the other, and it is the wind and fire of the Spirit that gathers us, forges us, and propels us beyond our settled selves. Of course, the Holy Spirit is not the “invention” of Christians, any more than there had never been a spiritual experience before that first Pentecost. The Church’s teaching about the Spirit is consistent with, and founded upon, the understanding of God’s Spirit in our Old Testament. Spirit in the Hebrew Scriptures is not a person or a definite thing. Rather it is a way of describing how God is active in his creation, and maybe particularly in individuals who fulfill his purposes.
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wo different Hebrew words get translated as “spirit” in the Bible. Nephesh means “breath,” and it is used just as we would use it, though in the later Old Testament writings it
Reflections
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came to refer also to a person’s character (his or her “spirit”). The other word is ruach, which means “wind.” (The Greek equivalent from later Judaism, carried over into New Testament writings, is pneuma.) In the Genesis story, it is God’s ruach that moves upon the face of the water, creating all that is, and sustaining it continually. Psalm 104 describes beautifully the dependence of all living things (including us) upon God’s continual life-giving breath: O Lord, how manifold are your works! in wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures… you open your hand, and they are filled with good things. You hide your face, and they are terrified; you take away their breath, and they die and return to their dust. You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; and so you renew the face of the earth. (vv. 25, 29-31) But this same Spirit of God that keeps life living, also moves in particular ways to form and direct persons in their response to God. The prophets in particular were understood to be speaking God’s words, inspired and filled with the ruach of God. Isaiah speaks of a messianic king coming from “the stump of Jesse,” and “the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (Is. 11:1-3). And in one of the readings appointed for Pentecost Day (and quoted by Peter in Acts), the prophet Joel says for God: “I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even upon the servants, I will pour out my spirit” (Joel 2:28-29). Jesus takes over and embodies this prophetic movement of ruach when he stands in his hometown synagogue and reads from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19, from Is. 61)
The Rt. Rev. David Reed is bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas.
The Pentecost proclamation is that in and through the sending of God’s Holy Spirit, the person and mission of Jesus Christ continues to be on the move, not bound to a particular time and place, but unbound, unfettered . . . and bound for all times and places and all people. As St. Luke sees it, the Church is born for mission. We can no more separate one from the other than we can fire from burning. Just as Jesus’ mission is to all people, so too is the Church’s. The coming of the Son of God is the culmination of God’s divine and saving work in history, and the Holy Spirit is the continuing presence of Jesus in the world, not just some day, but this day; not just some place, but this place; not just ultimately, but intimately. The Spirit poured out on the day of Pentecost — the Spirit Jesus had promised to send his disciples — is the gift of the crucified, risen, and ascended Lord. It is his on-going gift of his Spirit, his own life — as near as our own breathing.
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A Litany to the Holy Spirit This Litany to the Holy Spirit was prepared using the traditional form of a litany. The contents of the litany are based on Scripture, the Book of Common Prayer, and an Eastern Orthodox prayer to the Holy Spirit. It was used as the processional at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Uvalde, Texas, at the celebration of Pentecost on May 19, 2013, and is suitable for individual and corporate prayer.
O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, Have mercy upon us. O God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy upon us. O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful, Have mercy upon us. O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, one God, Have mercy upon us. Spirit, intercede for us with sighs too deep for words, Pray for us. Spirit, intercede for the saints according to the will of God, Pray for us. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us.
Holy Spirit, who is equal to the Father and the Son, Keep us in eternal life. Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father, Enter our hearts. Holy Spirit, who has spoken through the Prophets, Open our ears. Holy Spirit, who enlightens and strengthens for your service, Dwell in us. Holy Spirit, who in the beginning moved and brooded over the face of the waters, Move and brood over our lives. Holy Spirit, who is God’s life-giving breath, Breathe in us. Holy Spirit, who blew through the Valley of Dry Bones giving life, Enliven us. Holy Spirit, who overshadowed Mary that she might give birth to the Son of God, Grace us to give birth to the divine in our time and place. Holy Spirit, who rested on Jesus at his baptism, Rest upon us and renew our baptismal life. Holy Spirit, who as a tongue of fire rested on and filled the apostles, Burn in us with the power of your love. Holy Spirit, who descended on the day of Pentecost, Teach us and lead us into all truth.
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Holy Spirit, who descended on the day of Pentecost, Unite us in the confession of one faith. Holy Spirit, who descended on the day of Pentecost, Empower us to serve you as a royal priesthood. Holy Spirit, who descended on the day of Pentecost, Encourage us to preach the gospel to all nations. Come Holy Spirit, Our souls inspire. Spirit of understanding, Come. Spirit of counsel, Come. Spirit of fortitude, Come. Spirit of knowledge, Come. Spirit of piety, Come.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Send us the Advocate. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Send us the Spirit of Truth. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Send us the Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Spirit of Godly fear, Come.
Send forth your Spirit, Lord, and they shall be created,
With the fruit of love, Fill us.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
With the fruit of joy, Fill us.
O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth who are present everywhere, filling all things, Treasury of Good, and Giver of Life,
With the fruit of peace, Fill us. With the fruit of patience, Fill us. With the fruit of generosity, Fill us. With the fruit of gentleness, Fill us. With the fruit of self-control. Fill us.
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Come and dwell in us, cleanse us of every stain, and save our souls, O Good One. Holy Spirit, you came as Christ’s own first gift for those who believe, that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who died and rose for us: Complete his work in the world and bring to fulfillment the sanctification of all. Amen. Almighty and merciful Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Bless us and keep us. Amen.
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by James Dennis, O.P.
Reconciling
with the Holy Spirit
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Growing up as an Irish Catholic, I was aware that the Trinitarian formula was woven into every fiber of my being. Crossing myself and repeating “the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” are perhaps my earliest memories of church. Even so, for a very long time, I felt estranged from – even a little distrustful of – the Holy Spirit. As a boy back in Odessa, I encountered plenty of Pentecostals and members of the Assembly of God and others in the charismatic movement; and I knew those stories about people writhing around on the floor, speaking in tongues, and even handling snakes. I’m not kiddin’ – snakes. And people acting crazy. At best, I figured the Spirit was intangible; at worst, the Holy Spirit made people act downright loco. Right around that time, I decided that if that’s what the Holy Spirit was all about, I’d just stick with the Father and the the Holy Son. It took a while for me and the Spirit to make our peace.
“Through Spirit we are restored to paradise, led back to the Kingdom of heaven, and adopted as children, given confidence to call God “Father” and to share in Christ’s grace, called children of light and given a share in eternal glory.” --St. Basil, De Spiritu Sancti
In part, coming to terms with the Spirit meant coming to terms with the gospel. There was no ignoring the events after Christ’s resurrection, as told in the Gospel of John (20: 21-23) when he returned to the disciples and showed them the marks of his entry into human history, adding, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, John says, “He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” Something about the Spirit, I realized, breathes life into our faith, new life which is capable of forgiving the pain and injury of the past. I came to understand something else about the Spirit. Earlier in John’s gospel, Jesus told the disciples that he would be leaving them. But he offered them a bit of comfort. He said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you” (John 14: 15-17).
Now, I had read each of these passages before, many times. But I suppose they never meant much to me until I felt the real need for forgiveness, until I knew I needed an advocate, and until I felt a powerful thirst for the Spirit of truth. Among all the aspects of the Trinity, the Spirit embodies God in motion: moving, breathing, flowing. The Spirit brings me to the Father, teaches me of the Son, and reaches into me to draw me into the life that they share. In his proclamation of the work of the Spirit, St. Basil’s language gives us a feeling of continuing movement: the Spirit restores, the Spirit leads, the Spirit adopts, the continued on page 14
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Reconciling with the Holy Spirit from page 13
Spirit gives, and the Spirit calls. When we feel led or called, we observe and feel the work of the Spirit (although we do not physically see the Spirit). We know the Spirit’s movement when we see creation restored or broken relationships set aright. We invoke the Holy Spirit at every baptism and every Eucharist. Just as God revealed himself to us in the life of Christ through the work of the Spirit at the Annunciation, every Sunday God enters again into our lives in the Eucharist through the power of the Holy Spirit. Because of the Spirit, knowledge of the Father and the Son is available to each of us – not second or third hand, but directly, and personally. In this sense, one I’m much more comfortable with, we are all called to be Spirit-bearers, all called to be charismatic. And one of the most powerful gifts of the Spirit that Scripture reveals is the story of Pentecost. But it is more than the coming of the Spirit upon individuals; the gift of the Spirit is also the gift of unity. Scripture reports that the disciples were “with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). The followers of Jesus were of “one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32). The Holy Spirit then is also a Spirit of unity. It helps us to break through the divisions that tear at us, that work to separate the children of God. We are right to refer to the Spirit as the comforter because we experience the Holy Spirit most often as an overwhelming feeling of love. The Spirit works through our diversity to unite us, to bind us together and to bind us to the Father and the Son. It’s been a long time since I lived in Odessa, and I no longer have nightmares about snake-handling. I’ve come to terms with the Holy Spirit and discovered that Spirit to be both love and the source of love. And one day, not all that long ago, I decided I needed more of that in my life. James R. Dennis is a brother in the Order of Preachers (Dominican Order) and a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in San Antonio TX. Reach him at tiodennis59@yahoo.com.
by the Rev. Philip Cunningham
3 Roles of the Spirit
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had a Greek professor in seminary who had the amazing ability to make things less clear by speaking about them more. I thought of him as I began to write this article about the Holy Spirit, because I think there is a similar danger – the more we talk about the Holy Spirit, the more elusive it may become. Or as the great theologian Princess Leia put it, “The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.” Much of our understanding of the Holy Spirit is experiential, and trying to tighten the screws too much may lead to a distancing rather than intimacy. But that being said there are a few general things we can say without losing the power of and our connection with the Holy Spirit. At the most basic, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity after the Father and the Son. The Spirit is, as the Nicene Creed points out, worshiped and glorified just as Father and Son. When Christian thinkers try to describe the Holy Spirit they often go to the Bible (not a bad idea) and find the Spirit at work in both the Old and New Testaments. For example, in Genesis, some have said that when God created the heavens and earth, the Trinitarian formulation was already in place. God the Father was the initiator of the action of creation, but the actual words were God the
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Son (a theme picked up on quite famously in the opening of John’s Gospel), and the breath that caused the words was the Holy Spirit. In trying to determine the exact role of the Holy Spirit, the early Church fathers concluded that the Holy Spirit was truly God, but that it functioned differently than the Father and the Son. Taking the biblical evidence and other writing, three primary roles have generally been accorded to the Holy Spirit across the ages and these are: revelation, salvation, and the Christian life.
Revelation In the action of revelation, the Holy Spirit shows us God and God’s truth. The Holy Spirit, in magician terms, reveals to us what is behind door number two. It is important when thinking about this to realize that this revealing, just like the magician’s trick, is something that we do not and cannot do ourselves. What we know of God comes from God: in the words of the Sunday morning offertory, we affirm that “All things come of thee O Lord.” Included in those “all things” is knowledge of God. And just as with all the other things that come from God, we must choose to receive and interact with them.
we can move and grow toward the likeness of God and are therefore able to ultimately dwell with God for eternity. Our lives are a journey into holiness, and the Holy Spirit makes this holiness possible. If you like, you can think about salvation as a reclamation project wherein broken humanity is “fixed,” and that being “fixed” is the work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot grow into God’s likeness of our own power and will, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Christian Life Finally, the Holy Spirit helps in living the Christian life. Just as the Apostles did not know what to do until the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit takes us from being lost individuals to ones who live their lives in a Christian manner. The Holy Spirit is what guides the steps (hopefully) of the Christian Community to walk in God’s will and delight in his ways. Often the Holy Spirit is associated with a sort of meditative quiet wherein we are inactive. However the biblical witness shows more often than not that when the Spirit comes upon people they are energized. They live a life that interacts with and engages the things of creation. The Holy Spirit does not call us away from life but calls us into it, so that we can be God’s hands and feet on this earth living the Christian life.
Salvation
The Rev. Philip Cunningham is rector of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in San Antonio, Texas. Reach him at pcunninghma@ stmargs.org
When we talk of the Holy Spirit’s work in terms of salvation, we mean that the Holy Spirit changes us so that we can become more like God. The Holy Spirit dwells in us so that
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Reflections
– Spring/Summer 2013
The Discipline of Living in the Spirit by Blake Coffee
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have never actually sat down and watched What Not To Wear on The Learning Channel. It is, I believe, one of a hundred or so “fashion reality shows” which have captured the TV-watching world’s attention. My very limited understanding of it is that the hosts and fashion consultants on the show invade the home of a poor, unsuspecting person whose friends have sold him or her out and throw away all the old clothes in his or her closet which constitute clear fashion risks. When you think about it, it is a pretty humiliating process to have your friends hate your clothes so much that they put you on national television to get you to change. Come to think of it, I suspect my teenage daughters would love a shot at my own closet for this very purpose (dads can be so very uncool). But the truth is, we all have worn things in the past which we would be thoroughly embarrassed to wear today (e.g., take a look at the wedding pictures of anyone married in the 70s or 80s). To put those things on today and be seen in them would be, well, pretty horrible. This, I believe, is a near-perfect illustration for the discipline of living “in the Spirit.” “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:8-10).
Episcopal Diocese of West Texas
Paul talks about this discipline of living in the Spirit. In this passage, He takes a stroll through our Spiritual closets filled with “old stuff” and says, “throw this away,” “get rid of that,” and “never wear that again.” Paul recognizes that there are some old ways about us, some things that fit our old nature just fine but that look completely ridiculous on us now, and we need to just get rid of them. In their place, we need to don the clothes that fit our new nature. We need to “wear” things that allow the Spirit Who lives in us to shine through. It is not changing our behavior in order to be a Christian, it is changing our behavior because we are a Christian. It is simply putting away our old ways and taking on the look that the Spirit of God portrays through us. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14). As embarrassing as the process can be sometimes, you have to admit, the new look is worth pursuing. It suits you. It is a great look for you – and for Christians everywhere.
Blake Coffee is a church mediator and lawyer living in San Antonio. His ministry is Christian Unity Ministries. Learn about it at www.christianunityministries. Follow Blake’s blog at www.churchwhisperer.com This article reprinted with permission.
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Just Breathe
by Catherine Lillibridge
“Listen—are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?” - Mary Oliver
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t seems simple enough – to take a deep breath and relax. But the faster my day-to-day goes, the less likely I am to remember to do it. When all my children grew up and moved out, I didn’t know how to relax. I had hoped to pick up my crafting hobbies again but found sitting still a challenge.
Breathe Deeply and Relax “In the Bible, the word for ‘breath’ is the same word as the word for ‘spirit.’ In Hebrew, God’s name is essentially four letters…YHVH. The ancient rabbis believed that . . . they were . . . essentially the sound of breathing. Is the name of God the sound of breathing?” - Rob Bell, NOOMA Breathe video How many of us need a break but can’t slow down enough to fit it in our calendar? We don’t need to schedule it – all we need is a single, intentional breath to “break” the busy pattern of our day. Try it right now. Notice your breath. Is your breathing shallow? Is hearing your own breathing foreign to you? Are you scrunched over your desk or car steering wheel? Are you slouching and are your shoulders rounded forward? Do you feel stress? Whether you are standing or sitting, position your body to let in a deeper breath. In this intentional position, take a deep breath, past your lungs and into your belly; then breath out as much air as you can. Do this three times. Sometimes this will make you yawn, which means you needed the intake of air. Don’t underestimate the power of this simple, intentional and kind act. You have just taken a break and said the name of God.
At home, I found myself in my kitchen snacking out of habit and boredom and couldn’t get projects done. I joined a rug-hooking group and began to learn to sit and listen, while my mind told me I “should be” doing other “productive” things. Then I joined a writing group and found support from other women and we wrote about light and heavy topics. I began to go to an exercise class where breathing is central to each move, and I sat with a few women and did silent prayer once a month. I could have thrown up my hands and said, “I can’t be still, I can’t be silent, I must be productive.” But something within me said, “Please, please try.” It was hard and scary to not just get busy and involved and fill the new space created in my now empty home and heart.
Finding communities of women who are comfortable with group silence has taught me that I can breathe deeply and relax, whether in a crowd or at home. The added bonus for me has been a level of productivity that I didn’t know I would find. It seems that taking time to breathe and relax actually creates more time for being productive. This is a paradox, and learning through paradox makes me pause and realize the deeper lessons in life require slowing down! Catherine Lillibridge is a member of St. David’s Episcopal Church in San Antonio TX. She has a ministry to women.
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Reflections
– Spring/Summer 2013
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n the beginning God took dust from the ground and breathed humanity into existence. The breath of God parted the Red Sea and blew God’s people through the wilderness to a new life in the promised land. In the valley of dry bones Ezekiel watched the breath of God return life to old, dry, brittle bones. God’s breath came upon the Blessed Virgin Mary so that the child to be born would be holy and called the Son of God. The breath of God gave voice to Jesus’ teaching and preaching of the good news. God’s life-giving breath was present at and the source of Jesus’ miracles. The breath of God swept through Jesus’ tomb, defeating death, and proclaiming, “He is not here.” The breath of God, God’s Holy Spirit, is not simply a thing or an event. It is the abiding and transforming presence of God’s life with us and in us. Wherever life is being created, renewed, put back together, or inspired, the Spirit is present. God breathes and we live. God breathes and our lives are put back together. God breathes and we are re-created. We cannot explain it but we know it when we see it. It looks like lives of love and selfgiving, mutuality and intimacy, forgiveness and reconciliation, generosity and compassion, healing and wholeness, prayer and holiness. The Rev. Mike Marsh
Episcopal Diocese of West Texas
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by the Rev. Dr. John Lewis
A Short Lesson on the Holy Spirit
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any of us had our first conscious introduction to the Spirit when we heard the story from the book of Acts with its images of violent wind, tongues of fire, and a babble of strange languages.
Not everyone in the early church, however, had such an extraordinary and public experience of the Spirit. Neither do we today. In fact, the encounters with the Spirit described in the New Testament reflect a diverse and rich understanding of the Spirit’s shifting roles in our lives, a reality captured beautifully in the Catechism of the Episcopal Church: • The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, God at work in the world and in the Church even now. • The Holy Spirit is revealed in the Old Covenant as the giver of life, the One who spoke through the Prophets. • The Holy Spirit is revealed as the Lord who leads us into all truth and enables us to grow in the likeness of Christ. • We recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit when we confess Jesus Christ as Lord and are brought into love and harmony with God, with ourselves, with our neighbors, and with all creation. • We recognize truths to be taught by the Holy Spirit when they are in accord with Scripture (Book of Common Prayer, pp. 852-53). This short article will focus on some of the ways the first Christians encountered, acknowledged, and understood the role of the Spirit in their lives.
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The Spirit is Life-Giving Power from God In the Gospel of John, the Spirit comes to the disciples of Jesus in a very private way. As the risen Christ appears to his disciples inside a locked room, he “breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22). The same Greek verb translated as “breathed” also appears in Genesis 2:7, where God formed the earthling from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the earthling became a living being. Jesus breathes on his disciples the breath of life (see also John 6:63), the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of John the Spirit represents Christ’s ongoing presence in and with the community of believers. So, too, Paul describes the Spirit as the life-giving power of God: “...the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). “The first man, Adam, became a living being; the last Adam [Jesus Christ] became a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45; see also 1 Peter 3:18). The Gospels also acknowledge the Spirit as the presence of the life-giving power of God. In the birth narratives, Mary is found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit that comes upon her (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:34-35). So, too, the Spirit descends on Jesus at his baptism (Mark 1:9-11; Matthew 3:16-17; Luke 3:22), empowering and inaugurating his life-giving ministry. The Spirit then “drives” (Mark 1:12) or “leads” (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1) Jesus out into the wilderness, where he is tested by Satan and found to be faithful.
The Spirit is Mysterious The early Christians understood very clearly that the Spirit is mysterious and unpredictable in the ways it works in people’s lives: Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit . . . Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind [Greek: pneuma] blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit [Greek: pneuma]” (John 3:5-8). John offers a wordplay on the Greek word pneuma to emphasize that the Spirit moves and works like the wind that blows through our lives every day. Countless Christians through the ages have caught that wind or Spirit. It’s much like jumping on board a speeding train passing through your station, not knowing where it arrived from, and having no clue as to where it will take you, trusting only that an encounter with God’s kingdom awaits you. continued on page 22
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A Short Lesson on the Holy Spirit from page 21
The Spirit is God’s Teacher and Agent of Revelation In the letters of Paul, the Spirit serves as God’s divine agent of revelation to the Christian community: “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God,” for “these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). “To each person is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). In the Gospel of John, after Jesus ascends to heaven, God sends the Spirit to teach the community everything and remind them of all the things Jesus said to them (John 14:26). So, too, Jesus cautions them that the Spirit will not just confirm past traditions: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:12-13). The Rev. Dr. John G. Lewis is Co-Director of The Work+Shop in San Antonio, Texas. Reach him at jlewis@ theworkshop-sa. org.
Over time the Spirit has taught, guided, and challenged many Christian communities to perceive what God is now doing in their lives: sometimes confirming their old and valued traditions, and at other times leading the community in the direction of new ones.
Not All “Spirits” Come from God Paul and John both remind us that not every “spiritual experience” constitutes an encounter with God. As we saw above in 1 Corinthians 2:10-12, Paul distinguishes the “spirit of the world” from the Spirit sent from God. The same is true for John, as he instructs his community: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but prove the spirits through testing, to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). In any given moment, it will be crucial for a Christian community to try to discern whether a powerful spirit moving among them truly represents something of God, or reflects the influence of a spirit of the world. The work of spiritual discernment in a community is not scientific. It requires the exercise of patience and humility at each moment in this dynamic and fluid process of discerning faithfulness.
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Reflections
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The Holy Spirit as Divine Reviver “Sometimes I feel discouraged, and think my work’s in vain And then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again . . . from Balm in Gilead (hymn# 676, The Hymnal 1982).
by Sylvia Maddox
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t the end of a long work day, or a time of managing the family, or in the midst of a big project that is due, how often have we used the words, “I’m all used up” or “ I’m maxed out.” We have become like people who are “out of breath.” Our physical, emotional, and spiritual fatigue makes everything seem like a challenge. Yet we know we are being called to continue the good work that we’ve been given to do. Our first response is to try to revive ourselves by working more diligently, getting more ideas, honoring the meaning of endurance. Even with endurance, however, we begin to question whether all that work was worth it. We see no fruits and begin to have self doubts about the value of our work. This time of discouragement often leads to an awareness of our quiet bondage to results and to our own image of ourselves as parents, caregivers, creative ministers, or people who can do all things. It is only when we stop and tell the truth of our need for help to restore our breath that the Holy Spirit comes as the Divine Reviver. When we breathe in the breath of God, we begin to see and hear life in a new way. The Holy Spirit comes as an all-embracing spirit of love. This revival doesn’t always come as a dramatic emotional experience. Sometimes it’s a thank you note from a student in the youth group, the news that a person you’ve been mentoring has a new job, words from scripture that come like a personal letter, or the blooming of a colorful flower in the garden. Recently I was struggling with words to present to a group meeting. Even with great desire, I had no creative energy. “Come, Holy Spirit” I kept praying. As I waited, the spirit seemed to flow into the room, and one word kept echoing in my heart. What began to change was the sense of freedom I felt. Whether they were the right words or what others had expected no longer mattered. Suddenly
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The Holy Spirit as Divine Reviver from page 23
in the power of the Spirit, there was an awareness of the flow of God’s breath, and my only desire was to revive others as I had been revived. When we feel our souls needing reviving, we would do well to hear the loving invitation from St. John of the Cross: “Oh soul, what are you waiting for? . . . Breathe in God’s Breath as God breathes in you.”
Every day the Spirit reminds me: To be aware and grateful that I have this infinite gift of the Holy Spirit that embraces me with love in all things. To know when I need to stop and catch my breath. To know my need of the Spirit and in every part of my life be bold to pray, “Come, Holy Spirit.” To be open to receive the divine reviving with expectation. To live in the freedom and flow of my work knowing that God’s power working in me can do infinitely more than I can ask or imagine. Sylvia Maddox is a writer and educator. She is a member of Church of Reconciliation, San Antonio TX. Reach her at sylmaddox@aol.com.
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The Girl I Didn’t Know by Clara Duffy
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few months ago, I would have told you I don’t cry. I don’t have exceptional experiences with God because my ride is smooth, my faith is rooted, I am happy. And I am not one to cry when I am happy. A couple months ago, I would also have told you that I feel the Holy Spirit when I am closest to God, most filled with joy, most surrounded by community. And I still believe that the Holy Spirit is present in mountaintop moments. I probably understood, too, that the Holy Spirit is around when you’re feeling low. But I didn’t get it. Then one day recently I was reading through some blogs. I am the editor of my school’s literary magazine, and the creative writing class that publishes it writes daily blogs to generate content. I was reading my favorites, one of my friend’s blogs, one from that funny kid who sits in the corner. And because I have them all saved on my phone, I stumbled upon a blog that I hadn’t read. It was written by a girl in my class whom I don’t talk to much; she had recently had a baby, she wore black lipstick; it wasn’t that I disliked her, we just didn’t relate. I started to read a post she had written called “Untold Story.” There she laid out in simple, straightforward words the story of her life. And it broke my heart. This girl was born into an abusive home. She was physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by both of her parents. She grew up and became a teen mom, was kicked out of her house, and is now living with ridicule from her boyfriend’s mother. She struggles to hold on, struggles to buy diapers for her baby but continues, in other posts, to write about how she wants to travel, how she believes in the good in this world.
Reflections
– Spring/Summer 2013
I read the post as I lay on my bed, avoiding helping my family clean the kitchen, staring at my phone, and thinking, “God, Why?” How could this happen? Why does she get that and I have this? What have I done to have this loving family, this happy life filled with opportunity and support and grace? Nothing! I did nothing to deserve this! In that moment, I felt such a great sense of conviction from the Holy Spirit. God had driven a wedge into my heart. I got up on shaky legs and went to find my mom, handing her my phone with the blog and asking her to read it. I got in the shower and immediately was overcome with emotion, doubling over hysterically. I pleaded with God, beat my fists on his chest, and cried, “God, why is there such suffering? How do you let your children be hurt so deeply? What do any of us do to deserve anything?” Talking to my mom later, the tears spilled down my cheeks, and with them went every ounce of ignorance of what I have. I felt guilty, filled with aching guilt because I don’t deserve this. I have done nothing to deserve such grace. And this other girl has done nothing to deserve such a bad lot.
I was broken up that night a few weeks ago when the Holy Spirit completely interrupted my life, turned me upside down and shook me by the ankles telling me to wake up and stop living in such sweet ignorance. The Holy Spirit is felt at the top of the mountain, surely. But that was the day the Spirit called me to the bottom of the valley. Clara Duffy is 17 years old; she will be a high school senior in the fall. She is a member of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Harlingen TX and hopes to attend the University of Texas at Austin after high school graduation. Reach her at clarakduffy@gmail.com.
All I know is not everyone got the hand I was dealt, and I sometimes need to realize that. I believe in God. I also believe that God loves me. But more importantly I believe that God loves everyone else in this world – the rapists, the murderers, the janitors, the high school teachers, the annoying freshman, the old people, the third-grade bullies, the priests, the prostitutes; I believe he loves everyone in the world just as much as he loves me, which is immeasurably. And though I may not understand how God can love the guy who shot the kindergarteners in Connecticut, he does. God is bigger than this. I don’t know how, but he is. I don’t know why some people are born into such terrible circumstances. I know I cannot fix the broken world, I cannot hold everyone in my hands or in my heart and knit them back together; I cannot keep myself together. But I think God can.
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Opportunities The Cathedral Park Meditation Walk The 19 acres of natural and reclaimed grounds at the Bishop Jones Center in San Antonio have been sacred ground for thousands of years. Now, using a downloadable, self-guided audio tour, walkers can connect with God’s spirit made palpable through his creation in this place. The Cathedral Park Meditation Walk includes nine audio files - an introduction and eight stops - each of which gives some background information about the property and offers opportunities to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. The app also includes a photo gallery of plants that walkers may see on the tour. The tour begins at the Pergola of Hope, continues around Chapel House to the columbarium and then to the lower level where artesian springs still contribute to the headwaters of the San Antonio River. The Cathedral Park Meditation Walk is available by app at http://myapp.is/CPWalk or by visiting the diocesan website at www.dwtx.org/CPWalk. To listen to the tour, walkers need a smart phone or other audio device. The written script of the walk can also be printed from the website. Maps of the grounds plus more details of the Walk are available in metal boxes on the grounds at the Pergola of Hope, at the top of the steps leading to the property from Torcido Drive and near the exit to the lower level of the grounds. The property gates are generally open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. After hours, walkers can gain access to the property by stone steps located to the right of the waterfall on Torcido Road. The Bishop Jones Center, home of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, is located at 111 Torcido Drive, San Antonio TX 78209. The Jones Center includes Cathedral Park, Cathedral House that houses the bishop and diocesan staff, and Chapel House. For more information contact Marjorie George at marjorie.george@dwtx.org. Get there faster - click on the QR code using a QR reader to get the app.
Episcopal Diocese of West Texas
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The last word Church of the Holy Spirit in Dripping Springs is well-named, for when Andrew Morrison visited there recently, he recognized the Holy Spirit in the “open love and friendliness which leads good Texan folk to show their appreciation to a stranger.” Morrison lives in San Antonio but is a lifelong Anglican, raised in the Church of England. His English accent sometimes singles him out, he says, but his voice is no barrier between him and his Texas friends. Indeed, in the voice of the Holy Spirit we all speak as one. Andrew’s experience resulted in his penning this poem.
It is as if I have a voice Of limestone and big windows Limestone walls and big windows Through which to contemplate Eternity
Through which they contemplate Eternity And the Beauty of old cathedrals.
And Beauty, that has chosen to wear The Texas Hill Country as a Sunday frock.
The frocks and friendly faces, Different accents, different voices
Inside there is much movement In the passing of the Peace,
Beauty uses, but the body And the word remains the same.
Families stirring in this big burrow, Turning round to welcome me.
May we all to one another be, Like these families were to me,
They thank me for the gift I bring: Not the words I say or sing
Limestone and big windows Open on Eternity.
(This is after all a liturgical church), But the voice with which I say them.
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