This past weekend, our youth confirmation class retreated to
Natural Bridge. It was a wonderful and fulfilling weekend - full of God’s grace and the Holy Spirit. On
Saturday, my side of the cabin woke up to a chilling cold. Our gas tank had
been emptied in the middle of the night and our heat was out. A very helpful maintenance
man came to fill the tank up. I watched as he checked the gas logs in the fireplace. Because the gas had run out there was no
pilot light. He relit the pilot light and turned the dial to on. The gas lines were empty and nothing happened.
We watched as the blue light of the pilot glowed underneath the logs. We
chatted and chatted. We even chatted about how the gas must still be off, and
then – all of the sudden – woosh! Gas took fire, the logs were lit and heat was
all around burning brightly and warmly.
In Sunday’s Gospel we read the story of John the Baptist
found in Luke 3. As people gather and come to see John the Baptist they are
expecting to find the Messiah. John tells the crowd, “I’m baptizing you here in
the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will
ignite the kingdom life, a fire, a Holy Spirit within you, changing you from
the inside out” (The Message).
This story reminds me of the own day I was ignited by the
Holy Spirit. I was at camp my senior year of high school. After camp fire, a
counselor invited a few of us to a prayer circle. There, under the stars, with
a group of 10 youth and counselors the Holy Spirit descended and I prayed as if
I had never prayed before. It continues to be one of the most powerful moments
of my faith development.
Many of us have had experiences of being ignited with God’s
Spirit. As youth minister, I see that ignition at Happening and on Confirmation
Retreat. It is the moment when students’ faces transform from boredom to the
bright radiance of Christ’s beaming light. I saw it this weekend as our
students read Eugene Peterson’s Bible, the
Message, on their bedside and found a renewed sense of burning love for God’s
word. I heard of the ignition of spirit from a parishioner today who was prayed
upon and felt and outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit. Many of us have moments of
spiritual ignition, when our fire catches. What are your moments?
Last Sunday, we as a community celebrated the light of
Christ through Epiphany. This Sunday, we will celebrate as two of our young
people are baptized and receive the light of Christ. As we renew our Baptismal
Vowels with them, let us all pray for the power of the Holy Spirit which might
ignite all of us to do the good works which God calls us to do.
“Oh God, you prepared your disciples for the coming of the Spirit
through the teaching of your son Jesus Christ: make the hearts and minds of
your servants ready to receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit, that they may
be filled with the strength of his presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen” Prayer for those about to be baptized. BCP, 819.
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