The Comfort of the Holy Spirit

Do you ever know a Bible story so well that you stop listening to yourself read? That's what happened this morning; the story of Saul's conversion is well-known to me. I kept reading Acts 9, but I wasn't paying too much attention.

Until I read this: So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. (Acts 9:31) As a pastor's wife, I spend significant time in conversation with my husband about how we can build up and multiply the church (not our church, Christ's church). Yet, here it is in black and white: We walk in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Walking in the fear of the Lord is a common idea in Scripture. We are to fear God... not the "I'm terrified of you" fear of a small child in an abusive home, but the reverent fear that respects God's power and sovereignty. This part didn't surprise me at all.

Walking in the comfort of the Holy Spirit...

That surprised me! Very much! I'm still stunned by the concept: The church will be multiplied by walking in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Walking in the comfort of the Holy Spirit is a godly thing to do!

See, the biggest change in my life upon my return to Christianity happened inside me. I used to live in continual anxiety and fear. I second-guessed my every move, and I was terrified of making others upset with me. Accepting Christ's rule in my life brought, more than anything, peace and comfort in the Holy Spirit. I'd never thought of that way before today.

But it's true.

The indwelling Holy Spirit has brought me peace, and yes, comfort, too. Sometimes, I feel that "comfort" isn't something we should seek as Christians, but there it is in Acts: And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, [the church is] multiplied. So maybe it's not so wrong to seek comfort, the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Because it multiplies the church. My peace, my comfort... they multiply the church!

Amazing grace.

I thank God Almighty for the work of His Holy Spirit in my life, for the comfort in which I walk these days!!

Amen.

The Journey of the Lost

We sometimes call this life a "journey," a path we're traveling that is unknown to us in advance. And sometimes we use the word "journey" to talk about a change we've made over time in this life. It's the second kind of journey I want to address today.

See, I wasn't always a Christian. I was raised one. I am one now. But in the middle, there was a time when my faith was shattered and my life consumed by this world.

My upbringing was definitely Christian, although we attended several different churches throughout my childhood. I was baptized in the Presbyterian church. We attended a Methodist church for a while. I spent my junior high and high school years active in a Disciples of Christ church.

It was when I went to college that I had a crisis of faith, and over a decade later when I rejoined the Christian church. That's the part of the journey I want to talk about today.

Because sometimes I see Christian people who are judgmental about those in an earlier place in their faith journey. But if we are maturing as Christians, we should be supporting and guiding those who are new to faith. And guiding doesn't mean knocking down all of the ideas and beliefs of a new believer.

I remember when I was leaving the church during college. I desperately wanted to believe and to keep my faith. I had a ton of questions! I attended Christian Bible studies and asked those questions, only to be shut down with an attitude of "If you're a Christian, why would you even be wondering that?!" I thought the only way to be able to explore my questions was to leave the Christian community. So I did.

I married a previous-Christian who was also questioning lots of things about faith. We began to attend a Unitarian Universalist "church." I met lots of really good people there! I'm still friends with many of them. It was a wonderful place to explore spirituality, but it wasn't Christian.

I was still seeking answers to my religious questions, and I was realizing that deep-down, I wanted Christian answers to those questions. I didn't feel like I was getting them at the UU church, and by this time there were children to consider. My then-husband had quit attending with us, and so I began to attend a local Disciples of Christ (DoC) church with my children.

I didn't feel like I belonged at the UU church because I was "too Christian," and I didn't feel like I belonged at the DoC church because I wasn't Christian enough. But here again, I was on a journey, and this time I was accepted by the DoC church without the judgment of my college peers. This group of Christians, new and mature alike, accepted us without question. This acceptance is what I would encourage as a model of supporting new believers. I wasn't ready to participate in everything. I didn't take communion for over a year. I didn't pray aloud. I couldn't recite an affirmation of faith. But I was in church, hearing God's word! It would have been easy for a mature believer in this group to judge my faith as lacking or my theology as heretical, but no one did. And so I stayed.

And one Sunday, as I was passing on the communion tray, God spoke. He said, "Just take it. Let me do the rest. Just trust me." And I did.

See, on my journey, God was in charge. He never let me go! He knew that I was on a journey and would make it all the way into His loving arms. The Christians who surrounded me at that time were accepting and supportive, and they taught me every day. They walked alongside me in my faith journey and taught me new things about this God I was trying to follow. No one judged my previous or current beliefs as invalid. They just kept pointing me back to God.

From those days till now, my faith has ever increased, ever deepened, ever matured. I look back on some of the beliefs I had at various times along my journey, and I almost laugh! But I'm really glad that there were strong and loving Christians along the way to support me through my questioning times, without judgment. I'm really glad that they also gently pushed me toward the God of the Bible.

And I pray that I, as a pastor's wife, can recognize those who are earlier in their faith journey than I am. And I pray that I can encourage them, support them, and gently guide them toward the amazing, almighty, and eternal God of the Bible that I am coming to know more and more each and every day. And also that those Christians further along the faith journey than I am can encourage me, support me, and gently guide me even closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

A Long Soak

It's been a long winter, and we have had enough snow that the severity of our drought status has been lowered. I love snow, and it's been a lovely season, but we've been ready for spring for a few weeks.

Twice in the past month, I have been blessed to be able to take advantage of some local hot springs. The first time, there was still snow in the air. The second time, it felt like spring; the only telltale signs of the snow were the plow piles we had to climb over in the parking lot.

Both soaks were long and relaxing, even with the children along. The water is delightfully warm and peaceful. It was delightful!

In between my two long soaks, I read an article online about reading God's Word. It used the verb "soak" in reference to spending time in the Bible, as in "We should soak (spend time immersed in) God's Word." I've heard this phrase before, but it never struck me as it did this time.

To soak in God's Word. Not to read it quickly through because you have a commitment to read the Bible in a year (or two or three). Not to read it in small sections in a devotional book. Not to randomly open your Bible and read a page. (Not that there's anything wrong with any of those things!)

But to intentionally linger and dawdle and immerse yourself in a section of the Bible. 

So I decided to try it. I picked the Psalms because I, like many of you, am interrupted a thousand times a day by small humans. Psalms seemed understandable, even with a thousand interruptions. And I began to soak. I am reading, rereading, and rereading two pages a day. I read yesterday's two pages and today's two pages over and over and over. So each two-page segment gets two days of soaking, and on some days I go back to the beginning of the book of Psalms and reread all of the Psalms I've read. Sometimes I read the same small section repeatedly because it catches my attention somehow.

I love soaking. The hot springs are delightful, but God's Word is eternal. Reading the Psalms this way has deepened my love for God's Word. It has increased my understanding of the Psalms. It has focused my attention on God instead of Words with Friends or any other app. I highly recommend soaking.

Amen.