Clarity
One of the gifts of the Spirit is to bring us together.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, 'Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? - Acts 2:1-8
Today's reading from the day of Pentecost speaks of an amazing revelation of the Holy Spirit, the ability for all to understand what is being said in each's own language.
In the Book of Genesis, we have the story of the Tower of Babel, which is an attempt to explain the emergence of many different languages among God's people. And here, we have the Holy Spirit offering a way to overcome the obstacles to understanding.
Today we create apps for our phones that will help translate in real time what people are saying in their language so we can understand each other, so it may not seem like we need the Holy Spirit's help. But the Spirit is more than an app.
Through the Holy Spirit, we are all connected to one another. It is our God Network, where our thoughts and prayers have the potential to reach out and bring help and consolation to those who need it.
God's Spirit is a means of being one with God and one another, if we choose to put its power and abilities to use in our lives.
The choice is always ours, which may be why we are not aware of its presence. The Spirit gives us the ability to do amazing things, but it is up to us to let it come to pass, just as the disciples did in using the Spirit to speak to the people.
So, in this season of Pentecost, we are reminded of the power that dwells within us, and the fact that through faith, we can let the Spirit be our guide.
It may be easier than we think.
More to come...