The Acts of the Holy Spirit

Acts 16:9-15;  John 14:23-29

We get such a contrast with images of the Holy Spirit in today’s readings. The quiet, sort of puzzling promise by Jesus that an Advocate will be coming. Contrast that with the visionary guidance given to Paul as he makes plans to travel.

In John, again, we are at the last supper with Jesus as he gives the disciples their final instructions. Again, we hear we about God’s love for those who love God. Those who love God keep the commandment to love God and each other.  It sounds more conditional, like we need to love Jesus first, then God will love us.

But Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Paraclete, to help us do the loving he asks us to do. The Advocate will teach us how to love each other, even when it is hard to do. The Advocate will help us find the peace that comes from God, peace that goes beyond a lack of conflict. God’s peace is peace of mind, peace in our hearts, peace among neighbors – all sorts of neighbors. And the Holy Spirit helps us seek and find such peace.

… I am more fascinated by the reading from Acts. The Book is called the Acts of the Apostles, but it could more appropriately be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit. We read evidence of the Spirit’s activity throughout the book. And, by the way, we have also discovered this Holy Spirit activity in Luke, as we read it each week at Bible Study.

Our chosen text starts in the middle of a paragraph. Let me read the previous verses.  Paul and his companions traveled throughout the regions of Phrygia and Galatia because the Holy Spirit kept them from speaking the word in the province of Asia.  When they approached the province of Mysia, they tried to enter the province of Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them.  Passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas instead. From here, the story picks up with Paul having the vision of the man of Macedonia inviting him to come there.

The Holy Spirit was actively interfering with Paul’s plans, preventing him from going to certain places, and making sure he went to others. Throughout Acts, Spirit is teaching the disciples, unlocking prison doors, leading them to accept the faith of Gentiles, and the leadership of women.

Which takes us to the story of Lydia. She is a Gentile, who worships the Jewish God. We learn that she is a seller of purple cloth. Since purple is expensive to produce, it is a costly product, and those who deal in it are wealthy.  

Lydia is with the Jewish worshipers because she is seeking something more than her faith in the Roman gods provide. Lydia listens to Paul, believes what he has to say about Jesus and God’s grace, and has her entire household baptized. She makes her home available to the disciples and a congregation is started there. All of this is Holy Spirit activity, sending Paul to Lydia, and helping open her heart to the word of God, and the growing community.

… In the book, Christianity Rediscovered, Father Vincent Donovan describes a Catholic mission in Tanzania, East Africa, in Masai territory. The mission had been there for over 100 years, and Donovan discovered that although their schools and health ministry were often used by the Massai people, it was rare for the teachers or health care personnel to talk about the Christian or Catholic faith.

For Donovan, this was a Holy Spirit intervention moment. Donovan made a plan to visit the tribal villages and tell them about Jesus. He tried hard to strip religion from what he said and seek ways to make Jesus known in the simplest form. He received permission from the bishop for his ministry, and set out.

Soon, he learned he needed to speak to the head man in each village. Once he had permission to speak, he told the simple story of Jesus, and learned ways to associate Jesus with their cultural beliefs. The head man in many, though not all villages, welcomed this good news. One early comment was, “why hasn’t anyone told us this before?!”

… Lydia exists today, of course. She represents any spiritual seeker who isn’t attached to any particular church structure. Such folks are seeking spiritual meaning, purpose, and community. They don’t practice their faith in traditional ways, such as attending worship and Bible study.

I’m assuming you are here this morning because you believe that your faith in Jesus gives meaning to your lives. The Lydias in our community are looking for this meaning and purpose, but they are not likely to walk in here to be like us. It will be up to us to go where the Lydias are and introduce Jesus to them.

I trust the Holy Spirit will lead us to where we need to be, and tell the Jesus stories the Lydias need to hear. It may mean we have a Bible study at the Florida Porch Cafe, or a folk song sing-along at the Brick and Barrel Public House.

The Congregation Council is reading and discussing a book called Leading Faithful Innovation that will help us make plans to reach out to the community in new ways, that work the way believers and seekers need to be reached in today’s cultural settings. We’ll keep you posted as we figure out where the Spirit is leading us. We hope you, the members will be supportive if not enthusiastic of the activities that are proposed.

… For this week, I hope you will pay attention to the ways God’s Holy Spirit has nudged, led, forced, and challenged you in the past to a life of faith in Jesus. Where does the Spirit interrupt or change you this week?  Amen