“But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.” (John 16: 13)
Easter Day #38 & #39: Person & Presence!
My Parish hosted our Bishop last night for the Celebration of Confirmation. In the Catholic Faith, this is a recognition of the “coming of the Holy Spirit”! Just like at Pentecost, when the fire of the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples, our young people were called to accept the coming of the Spirit, and bring forth their individual giftedness, and use the Gifts of that Spirit to serve the community, and one another! Celebrations like this are long, purposeful and absolutely amazing! I get to witness the PRESENCE of the Holy Spirit, and the PERSON of Jesus Christ, as they come to bear the Truth to a new generation.
As we walk through Easter together, we too must remind ourselves that we are in the PRESENCE of God, calling us to be PERSONS of faith. To be a Christian is to be a PERSON who see themselves as part of the “WE”, and not just an “I”. To be in the PRESENCE of our Lord is the “real deal”.
Today, I am not sharing a symbol of faith with you, I am sharing a real Truth and a real PRESENCE, and I am calling you to be a real PERSON who is rooted in the PERSON of Jesus Christ. As the quote from John’s Gospel says, “He will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.”.
The Spirit of God is among us and around us, and truly PRESENT in our midst. To be the best PERSON you can be, is to open your eyes, ears and hearts to the reality of the power of the Holy Spirit, and act on the gifts and Truth that it bears. For just like the young people did at last night’s celebration of Confirmation, you too can be in the PRESENCE of something absolutely amazing, and dedicate your whole PERSON to acting on the power that comes with the Holy Spirit.
Showing posts with label confirmation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label confirmation. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
50 Ways to Get Through Easter... Confirmation!
“But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5: 39)
Today’s word: Confirmation!
Today’s word, Confirmation, does not necessarily mean a discussion of the famed Sacrament, or that great line from Billy Joel’s Only the Good Die Young... “You got a nice white dress and a party on your Confirmation!”. Nope, we’re gonna take this word in a totally different direction. Today, the warning is that you better CONFIRM who dealing with before you go persecuting folks!
If you read Acts 5: 37-42 you’ll see the brief, but very important appearance by a guy named Gamaliel, a Pharisee who loved to teach the law. Gamaliel warned his fellow members of the Sanhedrin that they’d better be careful before persecuting anymore followers of Jesus. He said, “have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
It just so happens that this “lover of the law” was wiser than his title claimed him to be. Gamaliel offers us all good advice today! If you are struggling against something or someone, and if it of human origin, that is someone else’s “bad idea”, then let it go. The bad idea will fade away, and not bother you anymore. But if someone is trying to help you, let’s say with the love of God, then listen to them, and consider all they have to say! Let us CONFIRM the fact that we are not fighting with the Father, Son or Holy Spirit. This is not a threat, but an observation of salvation history. Pharro saw it, and many a king saw it, and Pilate saw it... When God is in the mix, God wins!
Seek CONFIRMATION of who you’re dealing with in your struggles. If you’re fighting the “enemy”, we’ve got your back, and WE will battle with you! But if you’re “wrestling with God” (see Genesis 32: 25-22), then we’re gonna watch, and be ready to welcome you in when God is done. God will not destroy you, God will change you, and CONFIRM that you are His, to love and to celebrate, and to wrestle with every now and then!
Today’s word: Confirmation!
Today’s word, Confirmation, does not necessarily mean a discussion of the famed Sacrament, or that great line from Billy Joel’s Only the Good Die Young... “You got a nice white dress and a party on your Confirmation!”. Nope, we’re gonna take this word in a totally different direction. Today, the warning is that you better CONFIRM who dealing with before you go persecuting folks!
If you read Acts 5: 37-42 you’ll see the brief, but very important appearance by a guy named Gamaliel, a Pharisee who loved to teach the law. Gamaliel warned his fellow members of the Sanhedrin that they’d better be careful before persecuting anymore followers of Jesus. He said, “have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
It just so happens that this “lover of the law” was wiser than his title claimed him to be. Gamaliel offers us all good advice today! If you are struggling against something or someone, and if it of human origin, that is someone else’s “bad idea”, then let it go. The bad idea will fade away, and not bother you anymore. But if someone is trying to help you, let’s say with the love of God, then listen to them, and consider all they have to say! Let us CONFIRM the fact that we are not fighting with the Father, Son or Holy Spirit. This is not a threat, but an observation of salvation history. Pharro saw it, and many a king saw it, and Pilate saw it... When God is in the mix, God wins!
Seek CONFIRMATION of who you’re dealing with in your struggles. If you’re fighting the “enemy”, we’ve got your back, and WE will battle with you! But if you’re “wrestling with God” (see Genesis 32: 25-22), then we’re gonna watch, and be ready to welcome you in when God is done. God will not destroy you, God will change you, and CONFIRM that you are His, to love and to celebrate, and to wrestle with every now and then!
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