Season of the Holy Spirit

Spirituality Column #127
April 14, 2009
Current in Carmel (IN) newspaper
Current in Westfield (IN) newspaper

Season of the Holy Spirit
By Bob Walters
Author of the book: Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Easter was a couple of days ago; the Lord is Risen indeed.

So what happens now? The Holy Spirit happens.

It is the Holy Spirit that quickens our living, breathing souls with our belief in God and our faith in the eternal salvation promised by Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity – fully God – and provides us with the emotional and intellectual ability to understand the Word of God: Christ’s truth in our hearts.

On the day Christ rose from the dead, Jesus began to breathe the Holy Spirit into the lives of His disciples so their eyes and hearts would finally be opened to the enormous truth of salvation, and the infinite glory of God.

Let’s review that first Easter Sunday. Resurrected from the dead, Jesus Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb (John 20:14) on the morning of “the first day of the week” (Sunday), appeared to disciples Cleopas and Luke on the road to Emmaus that afternoon (Luke 24:13:32), and appeared to a gathering of disciples in a locked room that evening (John 20:19), eating with them (Luke 24:43).

At the tomb, on the road, and in the locked room, Jesus was not immediately recognized; not even by disciples He had told in multiple ways that He would die and come back to life to assure their own Heavenly eternal life in the presence of God.

These were pretty big stakes; pretty plainly explained.

And the disciples missed it.

Teachable moment: Jesus specifically and of His own will came to the disciples on the very day of His resurrection and they, at first, missed the fact it was Jesus. Let’s try not to miss Jesus when He shows up in our lives … and He does, you know.

In that locked room Jesus gave the disciples the divine gift that keeps on giving; that animates Christian beliefs and has changed the course of human history – He breathed the Holy Spirit into them (John 20-22).

Forty days later was Christ’s Ascension to heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father (Acts 1). At 50 days – the Pentecost – God sent the gift of the Holy Spirit to all, so that all might believe (Acts 2).

Want to hear from the Holy Spirit? Confess faith in Christ, pray … and listen.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) wonders if the Holy Spirit minds that we don’t make a big deal out of Pentecost, when Jesus gets Christmas and Easter.