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| Image by Bhaskaro Rao |
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A GREETING
I meditate with my heart at night;
my spirit keeps searching
(Psalm 77:6)
A READING
When God began to create the heavens and the earth— the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters— God said, “Let there be light.” And so light appeared.
(Genesis 1:1-3)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
God’s Spirit blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from
or where it is going. It’s the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
(John 3:8)
A SONG LYRIC
Guard those enchained in evil’s prison,
and loose the bonds of those
whose saving freedom is
the forceful will of God.
O mighty course
that runs within and through
all in the heights, upon the earth,
and in the every depth—
you bind and gather all together.
- from "O ignis Spiritus Paracliti (Symphonia 28),"
by Hildegard of Bingen; translated by Nathaniel M. Campbell
VERSE OF THE DAY
The Companion, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I told you.
(John 14:26)
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| The "Holy Spirit hole" in Saint Stephen's Cathedral, Passau, Germany. Some Renaissance churches had a whole in the ceiling to allow the Holy Spirit to descend at Pentecost. Image by Eric. |
The scriptural story is filled with references to Spirit in many forms. In Exodus we read of a 'divine spirit' in Moses which helps keep a direct relationship with God. There are spirits that are "stirred up" in situations and spirits that are "put" onto individuals. There are the Lord's Spirit and the Spirit of God, good spirits and evil spirits.
For Hildegard, however, there is only the Holy Spirit, a fiery energy that carries the divine will over Creation. It was present at the very beginning, when it brooded over the unseparated elements of the earth and seas, and it was there at the creation of Jesus within Mary. The Holy Spirit "runs within and through all in the heights, upon the earth, and in the every depth— you bind and gather all together." There is no separating the Holy Spirit from the Creative will of God.
In the era of Hildegard, the architecture of monasteries often included a tiny hole in the ceiing above the altar, known as the "Holy Spirit hole," through which it was believed that the Holy Spirit would descend at Pentecost. Believers hoped that a manifestation of God's presence would make itself known, transforming them with the same effect it had on the first followers of Jesus.
But Hildegard might say that the potential for transformation is already present in each of us. The Spirit does not descend into us, but stirs up what is already in our blood and bones, in our hearts and minds. The signs of our transformation are not a sudden capacity to be hearing in other languages, but how much we are ready to give of ourselves to God's work in the world.
How does the Holy Spirit stir change in you? What is waiting to be born anew?
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Scripture passages are taken from The Common English BIble, with minor amendment.
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LC† Radiant Earth, Sacred Calling is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!
