Teaching Spirit
Author: The Rev. Dr. David Bridges, Priest
May 25, 2021
As Jesus was explaining to his disciples that he would
soon be leaving the earth (See John chapter 14), he went on to say, “I will
send the Advocate, the promised Holy Spirit to teach you everything and to
remind you of all the things I have said.” (John 14: 26)
Perhaps you never
thought of the Holy Spirit as a teacher. As the Third Person of the Holy
Trinity, the Holy Spirit is fully God and always among us. The Holy Spirit
wants us to grow in knowledge, understanding and wisdom.
I believe we are intended to be students every day of our
lives. When we stop learning, we die, emotionally and spiritually. As followers
of Jesus Christ, we must continue to learn and grow as the world around us
changes.
We will necessarily change as we mature and increase in
knowledge, understanding and wisdom. We change every day; mainly because we
grow older with every passing day. We also change as our understanding of Jesus
and our place in the Kingdom of God changes.
When we reject change, we may be stifling the work God is
doing for us; we may miss some of the blessings God has prepared for us in this
earthly life. When we reject change, we are saying “I am fine with things the
way they are”, rather than reaching forward toward what God has in store for
us.
It is the Holy Spirit that teaches us to value change as
a means of growth. For example, when the Apostle Paul began preaching the
message of Jesus Christ to non-Jews (Gentiles), he was criticized for taking
the sacred mysteries to “unclean” people.
God had already decided that non-Jews would also be
invited to the Kingdom of God, even though their dietary and personal habits
were very different, even offensive to Jews. It was the Holy Spirit that
revealed the truth of Jesus Christ to all persons.
We can never rest on our own current understanding. We
should always be willing to accept new understandings through the Holy Spirit.
One of ways we see churches and the society around us change is in the move
toward inclusive language and practices.
We are becoming much more aware of how our speech and
attitudes either draw people to Christ or push them way. The Holy Spirit
teaches us to see these kinds of change as necessary and beneficial.
The Holy Spirit also teaches us by nudging us out of our
comfort zone into a newness of spirit. Newness brings fresh energy to our lives
and the church. It reveals the beauty of God’s goodness and reminds us of the
reason the church exists; to bring people into a loving relationship with God
through Jesus Christ, strengthen their lives, and improve our world.
Come Holy Spirit, great teacher and guide.
Blessings and Peace to You
All,
Fr.
David+
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