4. The Fire of the Spirit
The Holy Spirit tends to be an afterthought for many Christians. We don’t really ‘have the Spirit.’ Instead, we simply go through the motions, formally believing, but without any fire. There’s little conviction and not much service. We just sort of believe.
The Franciscan theologian Richard Rohr says that this is why the Gospels clearly distinguish two baptisms. There’s the baptism with water that most of us are used to, and then there’s the baptism ‘with the Holy Spirit and fire’ (Mt.3:11), the one that really matters.
The water baptism that many of us received as children demands little conviction or understanding. Until that water baptism becomes real, until we know Jesus, and we can rely on Jesus, call upon Jesus, share Jesus and love Jesus, then we’re just going along for the ride.
Rohr says we can recognize people who have had a second baptism in the Holy Spirit. They tend to be loving. They tend to be exciting. They want to serve others, and not just be served themselves. They forgive life itself for not being perfect. They forgive themselves for not being perfect, and they forgive their neighbours.
Even though we so often pray, ‘Come, Holy Spirit,’ Rohr says, the gift of the Spirit is already given. If you’ve been baptised, the Holy Spirit has already come. You are already temples of the Holy Spirit. The only difference is the degree that we know it, draw upon it, and consciously believe it.
All the scriptural images of the Spirit are dynamic, Rohr adds: flowing water, descending dove, fire, and wind. If there’s never any movement, energy, excitement, deep love, service, forgiveness, or surrender, you can be pretty sure you don’t have the Spirit. If our whole lives are just going through the motions, if there’s never any deep conviction,we don’t have the Spirit. We would do well to fan into flame the gift we’ve already been given.
God does not give God’s Spirit to those of us who are worthy, because none of us is worthy. God gives God’s Spirit in this awakened way to those who want it.
On this Feast of Pentecost, quite simply, our challenge is to want it. To rely upon it, and to know that we already have it.
Deacon Peter McCulloh