The School of the Holy Spirit

Now that Easter is through, we are sliding through a few special days – Mother’s Day, Pentecost, Father’s Day, and then we’ll be staring at summer again! But long before any of those days arrive, I have a plan to help us be ready for whatever comes – learning about how the Holy Spirit works and how we can work with the Holy Spirit from the master teacher – the apostle John.

One of the things Pastor Becky and I have appreciated the most about our Navajo friends is how comfortable they are living with the Holy Spirit. That is one of the things we are hoping that our partnership with the Navajos will bring to our church, that we would become more comfortable with the Holy Spirit ourselves. What I mean by that is a few things: That we learn what the Holy Spirit does, that we learn how to let the Holy Spirit do his work in and through us, and that we learn to trust in the Holy Spirit more. I will unpack all of that during the sermon series that begins in April, but let me unpack it in practical terms now.

In short, being comfortable with the Holy Spirit means paying attention to and expecting “nudges” that shape our lives. For instance, when Shan and I were getting married, I had planned to take a year off seminary and work in a church-related field. One opportunity was in Wisconsin, and one was in Alaska. I debated with myself for months about which job I should take. I asked a friend for advice, and he told me that God sometimes just gives us a choice – we will be blessed either way we choose, but the important thing is to choose and follow through. His advice didn’t resolve the question for me, but it made it much easier when Shan simply told me one day – “Alaska! Why not?” We went to Alaska, if you didn’t know!

In that story, the Holy Spirit gave me advice through another person, advice that opened my eyes to another way of looking at the world. I thought nearly everything was black and white, good or bad, and that was preventing me from seeing that God does indeed offer us some choices that are blessed both ways – if we are walking with the Spirit of God. Choosing right from wrong is important and necessary, but as we grow with God, sometimes, we are choosing better and best or simply this or that. Knowing that the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the scriptures and through other members of the body of Christ and sometimes through seemingly random things (one word here – what the Holy Spirit says will always be in line with what the scriptures teach) helps us become more confident. And that confidence will help us greatly as we try to help others find their way to Christ.

I hope you will enjoy and learn with me as we together go to the school of the Holy Spirit in April.