Here's how it goes...
Some 2000 years ago, a gifted Jewish teacher and healer named Jesus was killed by political and religious leaders. He had made a claim to be the Jewish Messiah, a promised leader who would set the Israelites free from personal sin and political oppression. Before his death, he told his closest followers to wait for a gift that he would send them much later. Three days after his death he rose mysteriously from death and ascended to God.
They waited.
50 days later it arrived--the gift of the Holy Spirit. It sounded like wind, it looked like fire. It gave them ability to think and speak in ways that brought clarity to people about their lives in relationship to God. Followers of Jesus began to develop small communities of people who shared resources and cared for the hurting. It was remarkable.
A pattern began to develop in Christian circles regarding this gift of Spirit--a person would develop a belief in the saving power of the resurrected Jesus and then, later, leaders who had received the Holy Spirit before them, would lay their hands on their head and pray they would receive it. They would then be empowered to do God's work.
And so it goes.
Last Sunday a group of folks at Emmanuel Episcopal became a part of this story. 37 people took time to consider the teachings of Jesus and the meaning of the Baptism that happened to them as children. Then they waited. Our Bishop, Ed, coming as one who had been consecrated in a long line of Bishops all the way back to those early believers, laid his hands on our folks and prayed they would receive the Holy Spirit.
So, did they receive the Spirit?
One of the men being confirmed joked, "I was worried I was going to burst into flames!" A young teenage girl remarked during our study leading up to Confirmation that it was unlikely that we received this "special dose" of the Holy Spirit when Bishop Ed came, that we already had access to all the Holy Spirit we needed. Fair enough.
Me? I'm still a dreamer, hoping against hope that when we gathered Sunday for these people to receive a gift that they indeed received God's Spirit to invigorate their work for God. We all need help in such things. Help, well, it helps.
All those confirmed, from ages twelve to sixty-three, will need every last bit of Spirit that God is willing to give. By gathering around that Bishop we were all demonstrating a mustard seed of faith. And Jesus said it only takes a small bit to move mountains.
Who knows when. Maybe now, maybe the day after tomorrow, maybe in moments strung out all along the journey, but at some point along the way these folks will need power to love, forgive, redeem, inspire, heal, and show the smallest of kindnesses. That stuff doesn't come easily in our world. It never has. It often requires a special something from somewhere outside of ourselves to carry it out.
And we will, with God's help.

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