Tag: Holy Spirit

Posted in Advent devotions

The Cast of Advent: December 15 – the Holy Spirit

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Martino Pietropoli on Unsplash

The angel Gabriel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

Oh, that’s right. Over the past few weeks, we’ve considered all kinds of people from priests and laity to patriarchs and prophets to virgins and angels. Hopefully you haven’t forgotten that God is a major player in the advent of Christ!

The Spirit of God was there at creation, empowered judges like Samson and enlivened dry, dead bones when Ezekiel preached. Now the third person of the Trinity overrules the order of creation and makes it possible for a virgin to conceive and give birth to a son. Just when you think you’ve got life figured out, God comes at you in a way you never expected!

We ought never underestimate what God can do. No person is beyond the reach of his grace. No darkness can dim his light. The worst sin has already been atoned for by Jesus’ death on the cross. He is present in the womb and at the death bed. He loves you on your best days and your worst.

Sometimes it feels like a shadow darkens our lives. When that happens, we quickly assume the worst, allowing our fears, doubts and worries to take over our thoughts. But what if that shadow is the Spirit of God? Do you ever stop to consider that the power of the Most High might be overshadowing you?

No shadow can exist without light. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” Don’t let the shadows fool you. They testify to the light no darkness can overcome, our Lord Jesus Christ!

Thank you, Lord, for the light and the shadows in my life. Amen.

Posted in Good News Club, Ministry

The room suddenly got very quiet.

Posted on by William Douthwaite

WalnutHills1
(Not our club, just a random pic)

Last Monday afternoon’s Good News Club was, let’s say, “spirited.” Anytime you get within spitting distance of Christmas, there will be a surplus of kid energy filling any size room. It was review week, which brings out the highly competitive side of the group as well.

So we reviewed our bible stories from the last five week: Jesus turning water into wine, meeting with Nicodemus, talking to a woman by a well, healing a nobleman’s child and restoring sight to a blind man. I am always impressed at how much they remember, because sometimes it doesn’t seem like anyone is paying attention at all.

Then, after a few songs, the room suddenly got quiet. I know, I was shocked, too, as well as the rest of our team. Review weeks include a Gospel spotlight, and the room-hushing moment was when I told them that God knows everything about them, including all the bad things. We’ve told them that before. Plenty of times. As a group and individually. Maybe some secular holiday influence helped me out here. I don’t know. All I know is that you could her a pin drop, and that never, ever happens in our club.

“God knows everything about you. He knows everything you’ve ever done.” The look on the their eyes and the silent words on their lips said, “What? Are you kidding?” More than a few adults react the same way.

“Even all the bad things…” When the Law does its work, it is a powerful moment because it sets up the Gospel so perfectly. “But he still loves you.” How do I know? It says right here “God so loved the world…” And there’s that powerful and humbling moment when you get to talk about Jesus.

Your experience may be different, but those moments don’t come around very often for me. The story is more often punctuated by “Hey, zip up” and “Is anybody sitting up?” “No, you can’t have more candy,” and “No, it’s not time to go home yet.” When those moments do happen, I know it’s the Holy Spirit at work. No doubt in my mind. I’ve proven that I can’t make it happen, so I’ll gladly give Him all the credit. And I’ll always be thankful that I can be there to see those moments happen.

Next week I’ll be teaching the Christmas story. I’ll let you know what happens.

Posted in Ministry

Confirmation this Sunday

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We’re confirming seven of our young people during worship this coming Sunday.  I’ve taught confirmation every year I’ve been in the ministry (that’s twenty-three years this June).  Every time I do this, memories of past classes and students come to mind.

This year is a little different, with one of my own children in the class (the last one, our youngest, Olivia).  It’s also the largest we’ve had at Shepherd of the Coast since I’ve been here.  Now that I’ve been around for a while, I am confirming some of the children I baptized years ago.  It’s powerful to see how they’ve grown, and how our relationship has developed over the years.

I’ve picked out their Bible verses and prepared their certificates for Sunday.  I’ve gotten to know each one well enough that passages just pop into my head as I think of them.  That relationship is the most important product of confirmation, I think.  They may only remember a small fraction of what they’ve learned over the last two years, but hopefully, their relationship with God will continue, as well as their relationship with me.

Confirmation instruction most frequently occurs during seventh and eighth grades.  I enjoy teaching middle school, because most of them want to learn.  They’ve got a million questions.  It’s tough to get them to do work outside of class, but it’s easy to get them talking about various topics.

For me, confirmation is a powerful reminder of the Holy Spirit at work, calling, enlightening, sanctifying, and keeping us in true faith.