This Sunday’s message is from Matthew 3:1-17, the Baptism of Jesus by John. In this event in Christ’s life, we see the presence of each member of the Holy Trinity. The Son comes up from the water, the Father speaks from Heaven, and the Holy Spirit descends as a dove.
The Holy Spirit is always moving, active, and present. In the opening pages of the Bible the Holy Spirit is moving on the waters, the dove is released from the Ark by Noah, and the Spirit “comes upon” people in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Jesus is compelled into the wilderness by the Spirit, the Spirit is like the wind that blows, a rushing wind on the day of Pentecost, and dancing tongues of fire on those present in the Upper Room.
The Holy Spirit is active. How is the Spirit active in your life? We often get confused by those that see any activity of the Spirit as an ecstatic experience with obvious manifestations. But that is not the way for us to see the activity of the Spirit.
I read an account of a young man that wrote in his blog, “How I did not kill myself yesterday.” He described the depressions, sense of hopelessness, and emptiness he was experiencing during the Christmas season. He felt he had no one else to turn to and was about to hurt himself, when he called the Suicide Prevention Hotline. The counselor there helped him to put things into perspective. He soon realized there was hope, there was a tomorrow.
The article I read was written by his pastor and she noted that it was the Holy Spirit descending and using the counselor to bring hope to the young man. It made me wonder about how many times I had not been open to the Spirit. How many times had I not allowed the Holy Spirit to descend upon me so that I could be the tool of God building up that other person?
For 2023, I want to be more aware of the times God the Holy Spirit is moving me so that I can be a blessing to others.
Pastor Greg
Jan 06
“…he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him.”
