The Spirit of Christ

When the banks failed in the 1930’s and the Great Depression drove millions of people into poverty and despair, it took a lot of town sprit to get people through those dark days. When the levees fail, it takes a huge helping of community spirit to fill sandbags and ferry people to safety. When our favorite sports team is competing against a fierce rival, we call on the encouragement of team spirit to tip the balance in our favor. When the frigid coldness of winter throws a pall over our souls, we welcome the warmth of a Christmas spirit to bring comfort to a cold world. But all those spirits, however helpful, are human-based spirits. They are fragile and fractured from the outset. The flaws of the “first Adam”—disobedience, self-centeredness, “get-mine-first” greed cannot help but eventually infect all those human-rooted “spirits.”

 

 

The foundational Spirit of the Church has not cracks or flaws, has no weak points to warts. Why? Because the foundational Spirit of the Body of Christ is Christ’s own Spirit, made manifest on this earth. It is the “Spirit of truth” promised in the Gospel and breathed out upon the disciples’ community after Christ’s resurrection. It is the Sprit in Acts 2 that transformed “along-for-the-ride” disciples into heroic trail-riding apostles. When Jesus breathed new life into his failing followers, he recreated humanity. From that moment on, every new Christian bears Jesus’ name and is filled with Jesus’ Spirit. The first breath we take outside the womb fills our lungs with oxygen. The first breath we take after receiving Jesus’ gift of the Spirit fills our hearts with love.

 

 

 

Love is the breath of life. Love is the Spirit of truth. Love is the electro-shock that kick started eleven moribund mourners; you might even call them frightened “orphans” into a vital, living community of faith with a mission for the world. This love Jesus offers and demands is not a bland vanilla butter cream that frosts over every sin and pain with sticky sweetness. There are costs and consequences in choosing to take a deep breath from the Spirit of truth and love. There have been millions of martyrs who have followed Jesus’ own path to sacrifice. “Keeping” Jesus’ commandments requires developing a love that is far more than feel-good fuzziness. Jesus’ promise is music to our ears, “Because I live, you shall live also.” That is the heart of Christian faith. Christ is alive and because he is alive, we can live lives that overcome every obstacle.

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley