GOD’S SPIRIT UNLEASHED

A Reflection on Spiritual Gifts 

Have you ever felt stuck or powerless – struggling to figure out what next or how? 

Have you ever wondered how you (yes, YOU!) might  make a difference in the world?  

Have you ever had the sense that there’s more to you than meets the eye?  

Those rumblings that you have? Those dreams that you dream? Pay attention…They just might be the movement of God’s Holy Spirit stirring within you. 

 More than an abstract idea or the image of a dove that we trot out on special occasions, here at Shepherd of the Valley we believe that through the Holy Spirit, God moves and bestows diverse gifts upon us all, empowering us for ministry both within the church and beyond. Far from being reserved for a select few, these spiritual gifts are freely given to every baptized child of God. They enable all of us to live out our faith in vibrant  and meaningful ways.

These gifts flow from the very love of God – a love that, as theologian Willie James Jennings says, “cannot be  tamed, controlled, or planned, and once unleashed it will drive the disciples forward into the world and drive a question into their (and our!) lives: Where is the Holy  Spirit taking us next and into whose lives?” 

In the New Testament, you see the power of the Holy Spirit at play most fully and forcefully in the Book of Acts. Take the second chapter and the story of Pentecost as one example: As the disciples gathered, the Holy Spirit descended upon them like a rushing wind and tongues of fire, filling them with the Spirit and enabling them to speak in other languages. This miraculous event marked the birth of the Church and demonstrated the incredible potential unleashed when God’s Spirit empowers ordinary people. Peter’s sermon  following this event connects this outpouring of the Spirit to the prophet Joel’s vision of God pouring out his Spirit on all flesh. This means that these gifts are  not just for a hand-selected few but for everyone.  

At SOTV we describe ourselves as people who are Gathered, Loved, and Sent. Like the early church in Acts, we are called to be a community empowered by the Spirit. Just as the Spirit enabled the disciples to speak in different languages, bridging lines that divide and sharing the good news with diverse audiences, so too, do our spiritual gifts empower us to connect with others in meaningful ways today. From teaching and healing to serving, encouraging, showing mercy, and leading, there are countless ways in which the Spirit may move  through you to build up God’s Beloved Community here at church and in your homes, neighborhoods, and other  places where you live, work, learn, and play.  

With pain points all around us, the time to lean into the movement of God’s Holy Spirit is now… identifying the sparks of life you carry within you and daring to share  them with others on The Way. Where that movement  takes us, only God knows.