WATCHWORD:
In Luke 10: Jesus responds to questions about his identity, with the remarkable claim that He and the Father are One. Those who understand this are His sheep; they hear His voice, follow, and will never be snatched from His hand.
Meditation:
Friday the 13th!
Are you superstitious? Do you think Friday the 13th is unlucky? How do you feel about black cats crossing your path? I think on this day, this special Friday, we should start with a funny. This past Sunday, Pastor Nancy Nyland began her sermon with this story and then proceeded to tie it into her sermon. I share this but I can’t guarantee I’ll tie it into this meditation.
A man and his dog were walking on the beach when they came to another man. “Watch this,” he says, as he took a piece of driftwood and threw it out into the lake, telling the dog to ‘fetch’. The dog runs on top of the water, retrieves the driftwood. Again, he throws the driftwood far out into the lake, the dog runs after it on top of the water, retrieves it and brings it back. The man does that two or three more times, then says, “What do you think of that?” The other man replies, “Apparently, your dog can’t swim!”
I know that’s pretty lame and yet, sometimes when we read scripture we miss the point. Sometimes in the midst of a powerful God moment, we do not see the movement of the Holy Spirit, we do not see the grace that is present in that moment. We go through our days, often completely unaware that the Holy Spirit is at work within us, each moment of that day, if we will but pay attention.
Recall how the disciples reacted to Jesus coming to them, walking on the water, assuring them that they have nothing to fear, for He is there. They thought he was a ghost. No one commented about whether Jesus could swim or not. They were racked by fear, until he was there. They were lost at sea, until he was there. They did not know what to do, until he was there. For you and me, he is there, or, I should say, He is here, right in your heart, right in your faith, in the midst of your belief.
In Luke 10 we are assured that we are held by the right hand of our Lord and Savior and, in truth, have nothing to fear. We are assured that the spirit is at work every day in our lives and we will always be in the grip of God’s grace. Don’t miss the power of that truth. Amen.
Aspects of the Holy Spirit by Robert Morris:
Hearing God’s voice is vital to breaking out of old comfort zones and into exciting new levels of the effectiveness.
Closing Prayer:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth. Oh God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructs the hearts of the faithful, grant, that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice and his consolations. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
