Today at church there was a nice little learning about ... I'm not actually sure what Mike thought it was about, but what it was about for me was spiritual maturity and what living with The Spirit looks like. I guess some of us are supposed to say in The Spirit, but I kind of like the idea that we're together, The Spirit and I. Probably it's flawed theology on my part, but Lord knows I've never let that stop me.
The content was particularly grabbing, following as it did on a friend's writing and wondering about (re)capturing relationship with God and what faith looks like from day to day. It was gratifying to hear my own heart's hopes about what is True in these things affirmed in my own community of faith. Namely, that The Spirit is already ours, our inheritance in fact, sealed and delivered, and ours is only to live in such a way that maximizes our experience of The Spirit. The text we read was Ephesians 4:17 - 22, and it was kind of great to remember that the Bible actually offers some helpful direction about what living well looks like. Good ol' Bible... who wudda guessed?
One thing that we do when we live with The Spirit is hear that Spirit's prompting to love the one next to us, to do and say the thing that reminds our neighbours that the Creator has its eyes on them. We were asked to think of times in the week just passed (past?) when we had worked with The Spirit to love another, to speak encouragement to another, to give generously to another, to lift up the one next to us. And of course because I love myself so well, I could think of several times I had been particularly awesome and was willing to share some credit with the Divine. Truly, I had felt lots of God With Me in the week previous, and truly hope that some of that overflowed through my person so that another near my person got a hint of God With Them too. But you know, coming up with a list of experiences of that experience didn't take long - it's just my confidence in these things always worries me. But I digress...
...then I looked down. I fingered the new charm hanging on some burgandy wool around my neck. It had been placed there by sweet Brooke just parts of an hour earlier. As she gave it to me, she told me that she had seen it and bought it for me, recognizing what she thought has been the theme of my year. And I wept a bit, because of course it is the theme of my year and I had already been searching for a talisman that I could keep near my heart to remind me of Thankfulness, the antidote to just about every bad thing I know. And now here it was, out of nowhere, but delivered by the one who has already delivered so much Good News to me already over these last years, an affirmation from the Heavens that indeed I am Known, Loved, Beloved and even failing in the right direction*.
So I turned to my heart's friend and said pointing to my new necklace, "This was The Spirit with you this week." Cause really, truly, that is how The Spirit works. I just know it.
*If it's not already, "failing in the right direction" should be a trademarked phrase defining a life of faith from the good Dr. Paddy Ducklow.
3 comments:
How lovely it is to have friends that see something and decide to bless you with it as a gift. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
im so very glad. make sure you update the poor excuse for a chain. :) that sermon was very full, i feel like i need little bits fed back to me. thanks for that. lets get together soon i want to hear more about your trip.
And let me just say that finally the good Dr Ducklow redeemed himself after the last two bits of advice he commented on! Imagine mocking drink o'clock and not finding an acceptable substitute for anger...
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