holy-spirit – onewhoponders

Pondering for Thursday, October 9, 2025

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 22: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 131, 132, and133; Evening, Psalms 134 and 135;
2^nd Kings 23:4 to 25; 1^st Corinthians 12:1 to 11; Matthew 9:18 to 26:

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good;” (1^st Corinthians 12:4 to 7).

I do believe we are all given much needed gifts when we are conceived. They are given to us by the Spirit of God the Creator. These gifts lay dormant until brought to life by our faith and the Holy Spirit. It truly is magic. Our faith provides the path for the Holy Spirit to find our God given gifts.

We, of various communities, have a variety of needs. Therefore, God has ensured that each of us has those gifted qualities needed in the community we are in, or the community to which we are called to be in. God runs a balancing act within humanity for the good of humanity.

The needed formulas are planted in us before birth. As we are brought up in love and faith, we are brought to “full” life through the Holy Spirit. As Paul says, it is the same Spirit that activates all of us to be what God has planted in us for the benefit of those whom we share life with, our community. This is why it is so tragic when we lose anyone to untimely death. When a person dies, needed gifts are gone unused. This is very sad. This is also why we should treasure every person in our community. We need them. We need you.

Each one of us should spend time pondering about what our Godly gifts are and what our contribution is to our community or any community we might be called to. This is called discernment. We will, after discernment, discover what we are gifted for, and what our passions are, and what we are called to do. When we discover our gifted passion and perceive what our community’s needs are, we are well on our way. Where, and when, our passion, and a community’s need resolve for each other, God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

Today we remember Robert Grosseteste (a very gifted soul) Bishop of Lincoln (October 9, 1253); and his information may be found at: Robert Grossteste.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Let us pray:

Most loving and forever living Creator and Sustainer of all that is, You have brought us into being needing each other and placed in each of us what is necessary for our continued life together. Help us we pray, to discern what our gifts are and where our gifts satisfy the needs of those with whom we live. We ask this in Your trusted care. Amen.

Pondering for Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 19: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 72; Evening, Psalm 119:73 to 96;
1^st Kings 22:1 to 28; 1^st Corinthians 2:1 to 13; Matthew 4:18 to 25:

“My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God:” (1^st Corinthians 2, 4 and 5).

This is so true. Our faith must not be based on what limited scientific or geological things we can prove. God’s presence in our lives is so much more than human understanding. There is a different kind of wisdom in what God is doing within us. Paul continues, “Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory:” (1^st Corinthians 2: 6 and 7). This kind of secret knowledge is what the Gnostics of old preached in their faith tradition – that is, that only a few who God chose had this secret knowledge.

This theology is not accepted by most mainline Christian traditions. However, anyone, and everyone, who chooses to listen to the Holy Spirit of God will receive this hidden and secret spiritual knowledge. This hidden and secret spiritual knowledge is what Paul calls “These things.”

Paul says that “These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God:” (1^st Corinthians 2:10). I think every now and then Paul records the absolute truth, and it is directly from God. I am not a big Paul fan. But my ear has been trained to know the divine truth when I hear it.

Paul ends this passage with the idea that spirituality seeks out spirituality. He says, “And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual:” (1^st Corinthians 2: 13) After the coming of the Holy Spirit on what the Church calls the Day of Pentecost, every human being may open him or herself to the Holy Spirit. We can, and should, listen to what the Spirit is saying to us.

Today we remember Hildegard of Bingen, Visionary (September 17, 1179) and her information may be found at: Hildegard of Bingen

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Let us pray:

Come Holy Spirit, lead us and guide us in ways that are pleasing to God and nurturing to our neighbors. Work in us that which is good for our environment and our health through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pondering for Sunday, June 8, 2025

Two of the Eucharistic Readings for the Day of Pentecost: Year C

Acts 2:1-21; John 14:8 to 17;

^“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.” (John 14:16)

These words from The Gospel according to John were recited and remembered well before the writings of the Acts of the Apostles, in our Acts reading for today. But even in John’s Gospel, Jesus tells of a coming time when God will send the Holy Spirit to be with, and lead our assembled Church.

What does “another” advocate mean? Our Lord Jesus was an advocate for us, not so much for human authorities, but for believers, as the real intercessor of our faithful presence before God.

Perhaps the greatest harm that Covid did to us was to stop us from coming together as Church. Many of us have now gone to live-streaming worship or other Church telecommunications as a way of worship. I fear something is missing with “e-worship.” Our parish has gone to ending our Old and New Testament readings with the words, “Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people:” rather than “The Word of the Lord.” The Holy Spirit of God can speak two different meanings to two different people sitting side by side using the same words. It is far more important to feel the guidance of the Holy Spirit than to be fixated on the literal words that were read. But we must be together for this to happen. We have become so accustomed to not coming to Church that some find it difficult to come back now that Covid has declined. We need to turn this around.

In Acts we have New Testament people recalling Old Testament prophecy. What we have this time in our Acts reading is a repeat of the Prophet Joel, Chapter 2, verse 28 to 32. Whether it’s Acts or Joel, the point is that God will pour out the Spirit of God on all “gathered” community who accept it and call on God so that they will be saved. Saved in this sense is different from cured. This “saved” refers to life after death, eternal life.

The Acts message is so inclusive that it is spoken by people who did not know the language of the Gentiles for whom the message went to, but was heard clearly by those Gentiles who never knew Jesus. It makes no difference. If they call on Jesus, they will be saved. If we call on Jesus, we too will be saved, forever.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Let us pray: (The Day of Pentecost: Whitsunday BCP p. 227)

O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Pondering for Saturday, June 7, 2025

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of the 7^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 107:33 to 108:6; Ezekiel 43:1 to 12; Hebrews 9:1 to 14; Luke 11:14 to 23;

Eve of Pentecost: Psalm 33; Exodus 19:3 to 8 and 16 to 20; 1^st Pet. 2:4 to 10;

“Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites:” (Exodus 19: 5 and 6).

These are some of the words we read for the Eve of Pentecost, of which, tomorrow is Pentecost, the Day we remember as the Day the Holy Spirit descended upon us to be with us and guide us.

The Holy Spirit can be heard as the Voice of God speaking in our hearts and minds. This Voice is heard by our souls. Our souls are in dialogue with God. Then our souls try to lead us, if we will listen and heed its guidance.

The whole world, and all the people that walk the earth, belong to God, but too few believe, or follow the connection that our souls make with God. For those of us that do, we are a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. The path to becoming a part this kingdom and holy nation, is believing. Believing in God and what God wants of us changes the way we live our lives.

We are commanded to love God and then to love our neighbor. It has to be in that order. If not, we tend to put God on the back burner. But it is only through God that we have our very existence; the One in whom we live and move and have our being. If we didn’t exist we couldn’t love at all. But please know this: God is God even if we never existed. So let’s be thankful, trusting and loving: thankful to be here, trusting that God wants what’s best for us and then let us be loving back to God and all who God has made, including ourselves.

My own personal creed is: “I Trust in the Creating Word through the Holy Spirit of the Incarnate Word, in whom we live and move and love and have our being, and to whom we must give an account.” What do you believe? Write a short statement about what you truly believe. It may evolve over time. Don’t be afraid to capture your faith in your own words. You don’t have to share it. But it’s a start in your own spiritual development. Do you believe in God? What path to God are you on? Go ahead, write something down. Then, revisit it from time to time and examine how you have moved, or not. No matter how real you think you are, the Creator is the ultimate reality. “Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples;” (Exodus 19:5). We now have the Holy Spirit of God through Christ Jesus.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Let us pray: (The Collect for Saturdays BCP p. 99)

Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.