Hello and welcome to Beauty – the no-frills, no-nonsense podcast about all things beauty. True beauty. God’s beauty. I am your host, Deanna, and today we are talking about the Holy Spirit. Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard a little bit about the events at Asbury University. This isn’t a post about those events.
I hope that is not a letdown – but there are smarter people out there who have done commentary on this, and you should look to them for insight. I did not attend any of the services at Asbury, so I don’t have anything to add to the conversation. I have some opinions – but again, there are people who have given thoughtful and wise commentary on the matter. I will post some links at the bottom if you are interested.
What I do want to talk about today is your church experience. When was the last time you were at your church and felt like sticking around for a week? Most people track down the pastor if he preaches too long – meaning more than 30 minutes. Can you imagine being so enthralled with what was happening at your church on Sunday morning, you weren’t in a rush to find a table at the local diner?
I am asking you to really think about that.
As I thought about it this week, I wondered two things:
First, I couldn’t help but wonder why people were travelling from all over just to be a part of whatever was happening in that chapel. Aren’t they experiencing this at their church? Maybe not to the magnitude of what was happening on campus, but don’t they experience the Holy Spirit in their midst on a Sunday? Or is there a bigger issue? An issue of belonging and wanting to be a part of something big.
That led me to wonder why we don’t think the Holy Spirit can or does move right where we are. Alisa Childers went to Asbury and reported that her experience was fairly simple – a sweet time of quiet with the Lord. She added that it was nothing different than what she could experience at her church. I was glad she said that, but it also made me sad because I am not confident people are experiencing that at church. If they were, would they have flocked to Asbury to experience it?
Have we stifled the Holy Spirit in our quest to keep a worship service organized? Have we put him in a box as we sit down to work through a bible study? Have we forgotten to look for his movement in the ordinary things of life? Have we become cynical and wary of the Spirit moving? Do we worship the Lord with fervor – on Sunday and, say, on Tuesday? While making dinner and packing lunches? While at work or mingling with friends at games and practices and concerts? Is the Holy Spirit moving when you are in the pew on Sunday and behind the wheel on Monday? At your desk and walking the neighborhood?
A lot of questions – and I think they are worthy of being asked and answered. Do you see why? The Holy Spirit isn’t saving all his efforts for the people at Asbury. He can and does move right where we are and if he isn’t, it might have something to do with us. With our heart. With our hurried nature. With our lack of expectant hope. Perhaps the right response might just be a simple prayer – “Oh Holy Spirit, Come.”
I hope you will look at Asbury University as an example of what you can experience – not on campus, but right where you are. It is a beautiful thing to see and experience the Holy Spirit moving.
Praying with you: Oh, Holy Spirit, Come.
D 🙂
