FILLED
When our parents and godparents presented us for Baptism they did so in the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. As the water was poured over of heads and the chrism anointed our foreheads the Holy Spirit made a home in us. Nothing than change that.
In Ch 4 of Acts we are told that Peter and John are ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’. This filling was not merely an emotional experience, it empowered them to proclaim the word of God boldly. Peter and John allowed the Spirit to guide them completely. When they spoke, it was in the Spirit that they spoke. When they healed it was in the Spirit that they healed.
In our own lives, this verse challenges us to ask if we are open to being filled and used by the Spirit. As a child I remember singing:
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me,
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me.
I had very little idea of what this would mean in my life. Now, more than forty five years later, I hope I remain as open and trusting as my young self.
Where in your life do you most need the power of the Holy Spirit?
(Acts 7:51-8:1, Sunday, Eastertide, Week 3)