Epiphany 3C, January 24, 1010
Kathryn P. Clausen
Trinity, Newark
“The Spirit Working within us”
From the very beginning, the Work of the Holy Spirit is the underlying theme of all of the stories in Luke’s gospel. It begins with the annunciation and is the defining aspect Jesus’ ministry in the world, as we just heard in the story of Jesus in the synagogue in Nazareth. Luke shows us the power of the Spirit extending beyond the events of the crucifixion and resurrection and into the other book attributed to him, the Acts of the Apostles. The whole theme of Acts is the work of the Holy Spirit through the empowering of the Apostles and the development of the early apostolic church. It is the story of the Pentecost and all that follows.
According to Luke, one of the first events of Jesus’ ministry is to return to Galilee, to his home town of Nazareth. This occurs just after his baptism in the Jordan and his sojourn in the wilderness. It was in the wilderness that he was tempted by Satan and then “filled with the holy spirit”. And with that immediately behind him, he returns to Galilee, again, he says, “filled with the power of the Spirit”. We almost have to know what happened before in order to understand what is happening now and what will soon follow. It was very risky for Jesus to come home so soon after his emergence into this ministry. This could be the toughest and most resistant audience of all, as subsequent events would soon prove. But he was empowered and emboldened and did not hesitate to read from Isaiah in the temple, virtually proclaiming himself to have been anointed by the Lord. He tells them boldly, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled.”. He is implying that he is the one anointed and sent to free the captives and heal the infirm. He is announcing “I am here”. That they did not believe him is beside the point. It is this stunning announcement that sets the stage for all that follows.
John presented proofs of Jesus’ divinity through signs and declarations. Luke is allowing it to show through in the action of the Spirit within Jesus. By identifying himself with the prophecy in Isaiah, Jesus is not saying he is divine, or the Son of God, or God incarnate. He is not saying any of these things. He is saying that he has received the Holy Spirit and has been anointed by God to bring the good news. This is the long-awaited messiah, the one who was predicted many generations before, the one who would save the people. In this way, he establishes the connection to the past. Through the continued action of the Holy Spirit, he will establish the connection to the future.
One of the distinctive and essential elements of Anglican tradition is the Historic Episcopate. This is what defines us as Episcopalians and is the glue that holds our church together. What it really means is that our church is led by the Holy Spirit in an unbroken line from Jesus through the apostles and, in succession, through our bishops, each having been ordained, and receiving the power of the spirit, through his or her predecessor. This tradition is carried out both spiritually and physically, through the laying on of hands. It is called “tactile succession” and for us, is a very significant outward sign of a sacramental action.
This spiritual authority does not stop with bishops. It is extended through ordination to priests and deacons and to the laity through baptism and confirmation by the laying on of hands and anointing. All of these actions convey the powerful reality of the Holy Spirit coming among us, in ministry, in consecration of holy places and holy elements, and in our communion with one another. I see the Spirit at work all the time in this church. You might take it for granted, something that everybody does, but it isn’t ordinary by any means. I see it in your faces and your children’s faces when you are at the rail and reach up to receive the host. I see it when you exchange the peace with each other. I see it in the way you reach out to others in need or give of your time and talent to care for this church.
St. Paul tells us today that we are all members of the same body, all made to drink of the same Spirit. Each is different, but each is critical to the vitality of the whole body of Christ. None is more or less important than another. These are gifts of the Spirit.
As part of a new program for the diocese, our bishop has offered to this parish the opportunity to further develop its ministries in all orders, especially the lay order, through the Common Ministry pilot program. The concept is rather simple, but not always easily accomplished. It will be an organized program to help each person in the parish discover his or her own special spiritual gifts and to use them for the benefit of the church and the community. The first step is to truly believe that we have spiritual gifts. A lot of people are unwilling to believe that. “No, not me. I don’t have any special gifts or talents. I’m just an ordinary person in the pew.” I have heard this many times. It simply isn’t true. Maybe it is shyness or humility or fear of commitment. I don’t know, but getting past that idea is the first step in a great voyage of self discovery.
Lent is a wonderful time to turn inward for a while and begin learning more about ourselves. We might be hesitant to start for fear of uncovering secrets best left alone, old guilts and regrets or sad memories. But it might also be a wonderful opportunity to heal some old wounds and develop the wonderful gifts that might be lying hidden within each of us, waiting be discovered. Guilt, fear, and anger are all impediments to our ability to grow and move forward in our faith. And they can prevent us from being open to the power of the Holy Spirit within us. So as Lent approaches, let’s try to lower our guards a little and think seriously about our gifts, not just our deficiencies.
On February 12-13, members of the seven churches included in the Common Ministry program have been invited to come to Procter for a “gift exploration” weekend. Anybody in this parish who is interested is invited. Just let Cathy Bagot know of your interest and come if you can. We do not need to be shy about this opportunity to learn a little more about ourselves. After all, we are all made in the Image of God. The Holy Spirit is already working within us. We just need to let it show. Amen.
