Reflection

Spirit of Truth: Pentecost Sermon by NT Wright

Details: Hits: 18143

Acts 2.1-21; John 14.8-27

a sermon at the Eucharist in Durham Cathedral

on the Feast of Pentecost, 27 May 2007

by the Bishop of Durham, Dr N. T. Wright

Anoint and cheer our soilèd face
With the abundance of thy grace;
Keep far our foes, give peace at home;

Where thou art guide no ill can come.

Richness of Covenant Blessings

Details: Hits: 9389

Spiritual Helps

Eternal Father, it is amazing love, that Thou hast sent Thy Son to suffer in my stead, that Thou hast added the Spirit to teach, comfort, guide, that

Thou hast allowed the ministry of angels to wall me round; all heaven subserves the welfare of a poor worm. Permit Thy unseen servants to be ever active on my behalf, and to rejoice when grace expands in me.

Suffer them never to rest until my conflict is over, and I stand victorious on salvation's shore. Grant that my proneness to evil, deadness to good, resistance to Thy Spirit's motions, may never provoke Thee to abandon me. May my hard heart awake Thy pity, not Thy wrath, And if the enemy gets an advantage through my corruption, let it be seen that heaven is mightier than hell, that those for me are greater than those against me.

Arise to my help in richness of covenant blessings, keep me feeding in the pastures of Thy strengthening Word, searching Scripture to find Thee there. If my waywardness is visited with a scourge, enable me to receive correction meekly, to bless the reproving hand, to discern the motive of rebuke, to respond promptly, and do the first work.

Let all Thy fatherly dealings make me a partaker of Thy holiness. Grant that in every fall I may sink lower on my knees, and that when I rise it may be to loftier heights of devotion.

May my every cross be sanctified, every loss be gain, every denial a spiritual advantage, every dark day a light of the Holy Spirit, every night of trial a song.

http://www.spurgeongems.org/prayers.htm#Spiritual%20Helps

A Window on Our Spiritual Lives

Details: Hits: 7305

Even though our emotional and spiritual lives are distinct, they do influence one another profoundly. Our feelings often give us a window on our spiritual journeys. When we cannot let go of jealousy, we may wonder if we are in touch with the Spirit in us that cries out "Abba." When we feel very peaceful and "centered," we may come to realise that this is a sign of our deep awareness of our belovedness.

Likewise our prayer lives, lived as faithful response to the presence of the Spirit within us, may open a window on our emotions, feelings, and passions and give us some indication of how to put them into the service of our long journey into the heart of God. - Henry Nouwen

Visit HenriNouwen.org for more inspiration!

You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound. Psalm 4:7

The kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in
the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17

Earth as a Terrorist

Details: Hits: 6943

volcanllaima On any given day it can seem as if Earth itself is a terrorist as grotesque shape-shiftings of the physical world occur. Floods destroy property, volcanoes erupt and disrupt travel schedules of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people; and, earthquakes ravage families and communities. Each of these calamities kill, maim and break the hearts of untold numbers of people. A world without hope, held captive by these reigns of terror? It is not a trite platitude that our essence is spirit, and this spirit supersedes anything that we encounter in the physical world. It is not that our bodies don’t bleed when cut and our bones won’t fracture when stress is applied. Rather, it is that Christ’s spirit can provide sustenance and strength when the disorder of this world tears into the lives of ourselves or those we lift up into His arms. If we direct our minds to be a territory wholly overseen by Christ’s spirit, then He is able to minister His grace-soaked acts of love to those affected.

Spirit-led Farming

Details: Hits: 8441

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24

farm_rows Worshipping God in spirit and truth begins with a willingness to participate with God’s spirit in changing who we are. In effect we become farmers of all that define us: our thoughts, our lives, our souls. Since we still live as strangers in an environment filled with poisonous fruit, we need God’s nutrient-rich resources to replenish our lives.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, we recognize that the fruit of our lives apart from God—anger, jealousy, dissension and envy are quite different from the fruit God wants to cultivate—love, joy and peace (among others). As we remove the weeds, rocks and other obstacles preventing the Holy Spirit’s light of truth and renewing rain from accessing us, we understand how much of what we were in the world is truly alien to God.