Terry Paul Choyce
May 28, 2006, Brunswick Street United Church
Next week is Pentecostal Sunday, but I will not be here because it is also communion Sunday. But I really wanted to talk about the power of the Holy Spirit, which is the message of Pentecost. I am sure the minister next week will read to you from Acts 2, where the Holy Spirit came to the followers of Jesus in the form of a strong wind, and then there appeared tongues of fire which seemed to touch everyone. Each person could then speak in another language, which they had not known before. Other people, who were from other lands, could understand what they were saying. And the people were confused and amazed. Peter said to them that they too could receive the Holy Spirit if they were baptized in the name of Jesus. And that day 3000 people were baptized.
The book Preaching Through the Christian Year says "with Pentecost, Easter's Christ promises to return and has returned in the Holy Spirit as comforter, guide, teacher, reminder, and power...With Pentecost, the risen Christ says hello and not good-bye to the church.... The Holy Spirit was and is a gift of God to the church." The Holy Spirit is a transformative force that changes us, often in an instant, from a skeptic to a believer; from a person living in isolation to a person who is a part of the family of God. This is a powerful, life-altering force, and any of us can be touched by it at any time.
I have felt the Holy Spirit many times in my life in small ways. These are times when little miracles happen, which some may say are coincidences, but I know they are more than that. One happened to me last weekend. Paul and I had made plans months ago to spend last weekend at a conference in St. John, NB.
But, days before we were to go, I found out that my favourite poet of all time was going to be reading and doing a workshop at Mt. St. Vincent, just 2 miles from our home. Her name is Danna Faulds, and I have read several of her poems to you in the past. So on Friday night Paul and I went to hear and see her, and her remarkable husband, Richard Faulds. She greeted me warmly, since we had emailed back and forth a bit over the last 3 years. The talk was great, and the next day I went to her workshop on spirituality and writing. Incredible. Then on Sunday, after a moving closing ceremony led by Richard and Danna, we said "good-bye," but that was not the end. We just happened to be next to the car of one of the organisers, who was to drive the Faulds to their B and B in Mahone Bay, but her car was so full of stuff she could not fit them in. So Paul and I volunteered to drive them. The next two hours were incredible, with us deeply talking and sharing our lives with Richard and Danna. I felt God in that car with us. I felt that drive would in some way change us all.
I'd like to read to you one of Danna's Poems from her book Prayers to the Infinite.
Take Me As Your Own
Lord, take me as your own. Let
your holy presence glow like fire
in my soul. Let me look to you
alone for my direction, your energy
coursing through me like the unseen
current of the universe. Consecrate
this practice, every act a prayer,
each moment released anew in
truth. Help me let go fully in the
river of your love, hopeless and
hopeful, shunning neither sun nor
shadow. May the whole of who and
what I am finally be revealed today.
A skeptic would say this connection with Danna was a fluke, that it has no real meaning. But to me, it is proof, once again, that there is a power that fulfills our wishes and that creates miracles. Is it God, the Holy Spirit, Christ consciousness, universal energy, the unifying field, the divine mystery? There are many names now for this power, but they are all for the same force. Like Jesus's followers in Acts, who could speak many languages, God has many names. In Christianity we traditionally call God the "Father, Son and Holy Spirit." The Islamic people call him Allah. The Jewish religion refers to him as Jehovah or Yahweh. In Native American traditions he is called the Great Spirit. Regardless of the name - the love, the intention, and the power is the same.
So what happens when you are touched by the power of God or the Holy Spirit? There is always an emotional response. Some people shout for joy and dance, like Saul did in our reading today from 1 Samuel (10:10). Some people begin to cry tears of relief and happiness. Some people fall to their knees. Some begin to speak in tongues, especially if they are evangelical in their beliefs. Some retreat to silence, and need to be by themselves for a long period of time. Some want to hug and kiss everyone. There is no right or wrong way to experience the power of God. But it is essential, for your spiritual growth and happiness to let your life be changed by this experience. It is essential that you talk to a spiritual leader or read helpful books, especially the Bible. It is essential that you let this light of God, this blessing from God, open your heart and free you from your inner burdens - your guilt, your fears, your regrets. When you have the Holy Spirit enter you, your life will never be closed again, unless you close it.
When I was 12 I went to a Bible Camp in Haverford, Pa., and on the last night of the camp we had a bonfire. We heard a moving sermon, and then the minister asked us to step forward if we wanted to dedicate our lives to Christ, and throw a stick into the fire. Several of my newly-made friends went up to give their lives to Christ. I walked up as well, was given a stick, and when I threw it into the fire I was overcome with one of the most powerful emotional reactions I have ever experienced. I fell to my knees, and cried. I kept saying "Thank-you God...I love you God." I could not walk for several minutes. My heart felt huge. I felt like I was a part of every person there. I was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Then I returned home. My minister knew much more about the holy dollar than the Holy Spirit. My parents, while good Christians, were not your "born-again" types. None of my regular friends knew what to make of this "new" me. I entered a dark night of my soul. I went to church and youth group and sang in the choir. I read my Bible and other religious books. I prayed. But at 12 I was unable to keep this powerful faith that God had given me. In fact, my faith caused me many problems with my friends, and eroded my self-confidence. If I had had a spiritual support system, I am sure my life would have evolved differently. But , by 17 I left the church and did not return for 11 years. I continued to be spiritual however, and read many books on all types of religions and spirituality. My concept of God opened, and my feeling of oneness with God and with all people on this earth grew. I always felt that God was with me, a part of me. I feel that now.
Have you ever been touched by the Holy Spirit? Has the power of God filled you, in big or in small ways? How were you changed? Could you keep that faith, that feeling? Do you have people you can talk to about this? Do you have one or more spiritual practices which help you feel connected to God? Is your life transformed by love?
I will close with another poem by Danna Faulds, this one from her book
Go in and In. It is called "Sangha."
Teach me what I cannot learn alone.
Let us share what we know, and what
we cannot fathom. Speak to me of
mysteries, and let us never lie to one another.
May our fierce and tender longing
fuel the fire in our souls. When we
stand side by side, let us dare to focus
our desire on the truth. May we be
reminders, each for the other, that
the path of transformation passes
through the flames.
To take one step is courageous;
to stay on the path day after day,
choosing the unknown, and facing
yet another fear, that is nothing
short of grace.
May the power and love of God, of Christ, of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
©Terry Paul Choyce. Used with permission from the author.
