What’s the Holy Spirit Doing in Your Congregation? As most of you know, I was in Spokane for the Triennial Convention of Women of the ELCA. Bishop Mark Hanson spoke to over 2,000 women; this is one of the questions he asked us. “What’s the Holy Spirit doing in your congregation that might make someone want to become part of that living faith community…. How many of you go to worship and expect to see the dead raised; how many expect that the blind will see, the oppressed will go free”….. The Bishop concluded his remarks, commenting that he wonders if the ELCA has become a church of low expectations of the Holy Spirit and high anxiety over its future. In closing he said, Sisters, let us be a church of high expectations of the power of the Holy Spirit. This hit home, since we have been studying the book of Acts. I am not sure how many of you have been reading Acts, but Acts is the story of the Holy Spirit, the story of the church. Acts is the instruction manual for disciples; the disciples are empowered by the Holy Spirit and the sick are cured, the blind see and the lame walk. What are Jesus’ disciples doing today? Why is church attendance shrinking instead of growing? God has no less power; Jesus is still standing at His right hand. The power is still here; are we seeking it? Are we asking God to lead us in all that we do? Are we thanking God for our faith, our health, our children and grandchildren? Are we asking God to bless our ministry, our congregation and our community? Are we a church of high expectations? The power is still here; let us pause, give Him thanks, seek His will and become empowered by His Holy Spirit.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 21:00:01 +0000