One of the
several things we all have in common is the sheer enjoyment of receiving gifts.
While we may not always say so, our feelings are at least slightly wounded if
our birthday is forgotten. Christmas is not memorable if, because of economic
conditions, or because we were extravagant with gifts for others, our gifts
were fewer in number. I’ve also observed that as many of us add years to our
lives, the gifts we do receive are more predictable and much more practical. Gifts
have a way of making us feel important. When we receive gifts we feel loved and
accepted and affirmed and appreciated. All of those are feelings without which
none of us could live for very long. To be the recipient of a gift, to be a
“gifted” person, is to acknowledge that we are special; it is to acknowledge
our uniqueness and worth as members of the human family. Such gifts have a way of adding quality to
our lives.
On the evening
of the day of resurrection, the disciples are still, some 12 hours later,
bewildered, confused and uncertain about the news which had been whispered to
them by the women. They have gathered on this evening behind locked doors. And
it is in that room, filled with fear, with doors and window pulled tight, that
the risen Jesus appears. In the beginning, his appearing simply adds to their
fear and increases their confusion. But Jesus says to them, “I want to give you
something. Just a little something to remember me by: a parting gift, if you
will!”
Notice what
Jesus does not say about this parting gift for his friends, for the church. He
does not say, “Well now, since the resurrection is in the books, and my
ascension is not far away, I would like to give you something. So what would
you like? You name it and I’ll see what I can do!” Neither does Jesus spin a
glittering stage with flashing lights, filled with glamorous prizes with
inflated prices and say, “Take your pick.” Neither does he take his leave with
these parting words, “If you do not like it, you may return it; if it doesn’t
fit, and you may exchange it. And it will not hurt my feelings in the least if
you want to take it back and find something that is more you.” Rather, John’s
recording of what transpired in that room is brief and straight to the point:
“He breathed on them” and then he said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” It is the
gift of the Holy Spirit. What a marvelous word-picture that captures the nature
of the “giftedness” of the Holy Spirit. The very breath of Christ is the life
of the Holy Spirit. The breath of Christ becomes the wind of the Spirit. The
energy and warmth of the very being of Christ is the fire of the Spirit.
It is the same
breath that moved over the storms of chaos, and brought order to creation. It
is the same breath that moved over a valley filled with dried, scorched bones
in order to restore life to a people before the eyes of Ezekiel. Now, on this
night, it is the same breath which moves over a group of fear-filled disciples,
huddling in a room of uncertainty, and transforms them into the dynamic,
energy-filled servants we call the church. Life and breath go together. The
common saying is that if you are not breathing, you are dead. One must breathe
to live. This is also true in the spiritual sense. The breath of God gives
life. Just a few verses later, John writes, “These things are written, that you
may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believe you may
have life in his name.” (vs. 20)
Go with God,
Pastor Qualley
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