Pilgrim's Progress with Erik Peeters: The Gift of the Spirit
In the Anglican church year, after the highs of celebrating Jesus’ resurrection at Easter and the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost, we are entering what is known as Ordinary Time.
I don’t know about you, but it seems too long since we last had times that felt ordinary.
In these times, it is good to remember what the gift of the Spirit is all about. To recall the story – on the day of Pentecost (an originally Jewish festival) the first people to follow Jesus are gathered together. Suddenly, noise like a rushing wind fills the house where they are, and tongues of flames rest on their heads, and they are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to praise God and speak of Jesus in all kinds of different languages.
What does that mean? Well, two things – first, God through the Spirit doesn’t give everyone the same language so they can understand each other. God gives the disciples the ability to speak many languages. The Spirit gives the gift to reach out to one another across differences of language and culture and ethnicity. It is in this reaching out that we will find peace.
Second, the gift of the Spirit is not the spectacular flames or rushing wind. The gift of the Spirit is love and hope and faith, which isn’t belief, by the way, but faithfulness and trust. Ordinary times may or may not come back, but the way through today and tomorrow is still the same it always was – to love one another as God loves us, to live out of hope that our end is resurrection not death, and to trust God and to reach out to one another in faithfulness and trust. Thank God that these are the gifts the Spirit pours out on us if we will receive them.
Erik Peeters, Wakefield Cathedral