John 20:19-23
Lead in: The story of Elijiah in the Old Testament (I Kings 19:12) reminds us that sometimes God comes to us in the whisper of a “still small voice”. And then at other times God comes to us in a big way that’s hard to miss. That’s what happened at Pentecost. A rush of wind blew down the walls of fear and set the disciples on fire with the joy of the Spirit.
Prompt: Reflect on a time when the Spirit came to you like a whisper of a “small voice within”. Prompt: Reflect on a time when the Spirit came to you in a big way like a noisy rush of wind.
Lead in: In John 20:23 Jesus says, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain are retained.” What this means is if you forgive someone the grip of resentment is lifted. But if you don’t forgive their sin, you’re stuck with having to carry around the resentment you still feel. Prompt: Reflect on a time when you were able to unburden yourself of a resentment you felt for way too long. What change did that bring about in you?
Prompt: Reflect on a situation where it’s hard to let go of a resentment you’ve held on to for too long. What do you need for you to let go of that resentment?
Lead in: The story of the Tower of Babel is not a story about people’s infidelity to God. The people believed in God. But they thought if they could build a tower high enough, they could get to God on their own. We don’t get to God on our own. It’s the Spirit of God who helps us get there. The Holy Spirit poured out on the disciples at Pentecost reversed the effect of Babel by giving the disciples a power not of their own, but of the Spirit of God within them.
Prompt: Reflect on a time when you realized that it wasn’t all up to you, but that God was there to help you.
Prompt: Where is it hardest for you to trust that it’s not all up to you to get done what needs to be done?
Lead in: In John 20:23, Jesus breathes on the disciples and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Opening our heart to receive the Holy Spirit is like the inhale and exhale we take as we breathe.
As we receive the Holy Spirit, we breath in the very breath of God. The fruit of our expanded lung capacity for breath of the Holy Spirit is the greater capacity for love demonstrated in our ability to forgive, to live with a joy for life, and to accept others different than us.
Prompt: If the practice of deep breathing in the Holy Spirit calms our souls, where do you most need the breath of God these days?
