17 The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom. 18 All of us are looking with unveiled faces at the glory of the Lord as if we were looking in a mirror. We are being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to the next degree of glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Reflection
In Pastor Joe’s message this past Sunday what I heard was that we all are on a spiritual journey. Being on a journey means that we experience new things and learn as we go. What a wonderful picture that is, we can rejoice in the Spirit’s presence, knowing that we aren’t in competition with each other and instead we are alive and steadily transformed.
Occasionally I read Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations which come from the Center For Action and Contemplation. The May 22nd Devotional is written by Brian McLaren and is below. I hope that it proves as valuable to you as it is to me in complementing our scripture and Pastor Joe’s excellent message:
“Following Jesus today has much in common with the original disciples’ experience…. But there is an obvious and major difference between our experience and theirs: they could see Jesus and we can’t. Surprisingly, according to John’s Gospel, that gives us an advantage. “It’s better that I go away so the Spirit can come,” Jesus said [John 16:7]. If he were physically present and visible, our focus would be on Christ over there, right there, out there … but because of his absence, we discover the Spirit of Christ right here, in here, within….
At the core of Jesus’ life and message, then, was this good news: the Spirit of God, the Spirit of aliveness, the Wind-breath-fire-cloud-water-wine-dove Spirit who filled Jesus is on the move in our world. And that gives us a choice: do we dig in our heels, clench our fists, and live for our own agenda, or do we let go, let be, and let come … and so be taken up into the Spirit’s movement?
Theologian Grace Ji-Sun Kim urges Christians to be open to the Spirit’s life-giving movement:
The Holy Spirit makes us “spiritually” alive. It inspires and strengthens us and gives us aspirations, inspirations, and intuitions. It opens us to new truths and enables us to integrate these truths into our minds and lives…. We want the Spirit to open us to its presence so we may be transformed. We believe that this openness to God’s transforming presence will make us truly alive.
We must be guided by the Spirit in all that we do. We work with the movement of the Spirit as wind, light, and breath to change us and empower us to be agents of change.
When the Spirit fills our lives, we follow the rhythm of the Spirit. We are guided by the Spirit to become new creatures and become agents of change. We become workers in the Spirit and for the Spirit…. The love of the Spirit will empower us to work for God: to generate justice, be merciful, and fill the world with God’s love…. As we experience God’s presence, we each contribute to the building of the reign of God here on Earth. It is a task that calls all of us.
We recognize that this Spirit transforms us to become the best that we can be by our love. Love is the force that challenges us to move towards justice and wholeness.
Brian concludes:
In a world full of big challenges, in a time like ours, we can’t settle for a heavy and fixed religion. We can’t try to contain the Spirit in a box. We need to experience the mighty rushing wind of Pentecost. We need our hearts to be made incandescent by the Spirit’s fire. We need the living water and new wine Jesus promised, so our hearts can become the home of dovelike peace.”
The source for these meditations is here https://cac.org/daily-meditations/
by Clarence Beverage
For Pondering and Prayer
The transforming work that God accomplishes through Christ is intended for all. The transformation spoken of in our scripture is not the mere accumulation of bible knowledge nor is it behavior modification because it is “spiritual transformation.” God accomplishes it as the Holy Spirit uses our exposure and openness to the Word to grow us from one level of spiritual development to the next.
I feel that I experienced that when I was a teenager raised in the Baptist church. I strongly felt that I needed to be baptized but knew that I shouldn’t go forward until I really felt a desire in my heart, but, it just wasn’t happening. When I stopped trying and decided to wait for God’s moving in my heart, I honestly felt change and an inner desire to go forward.
Have you had times in your life when you have felt the spirit at work? How did you feel? Are you able to share your experiences with others to help them on their faith journey?
How are you at hearing a message, or reading scripture, and then desiring to find the full meaning and apply that to life? Would you see that practice as an effort to both learn and experience a changed heart?
Prayer: We ask O Lord, for the gifts of your Spirit. Enable us to penetrate the depth of the whole truth, and grant that we may share with others the goods you have put at our disposal. Teach us to overcome divisions. Send us your Spirit to lead us in unity and charity, in obedience to your will, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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