Surprise!

Jesus said that "John baptized with water, but soon you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." It is the season of Easter and Christ is risen! This promise is for us today, just as it was for the disciples so long ago. Not only is Jesus risen, but he promises us the Holy Spirit!  

Whenever I travel out of town, I try to bring something back to the kids. Unless I have a specific mission, it ends up being something that easily tucks into a carry-on bag—a sticker, a magnet, a keychain. These little tchotchkes or trinkets are sometimes useful, sometimes funny. But the Holy Spirit is not a memento that Jesus sends us, not a mere souvenir. The Holy Spirit is God's power for us. The Holy Spirit is the gift of life and, in the case of Peter in the Book of Acts, it teaches him what God cleans we ought not call profane— including the families of people living outside the covenant with Israel, saved by the power of the Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit surprises, opens the kingdom of heaven, reminds us of the majesty of God's creation and the sovereignty of God's choice above all our divisions. The Holy Spirit teaches us all that our motivation should not be about our own power or glory, but about the Glory of God alone. As Peter says, "who was I that I could hinder God?" The closer we get to Pentecost, the more we all have to choose whether we will make the Holy Spirit a spiritual dust catcher, attempting to hinder God's work or receive the Spirit, choosing to serve God in power.