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“From the fall of man to our day, the work of redemption in its effect has mainly been carried on by remarkable [i.e., extraordinary] communications of the Spirit of God. Though there [is] a more constant influence of God’s Spirit always in some degree attending his ordinances, yet the way in which the greatest things have been done towards carrying on this work, always have been by remarkable effusions [i.e., outpourings], at special seasons of mercy.” – Jonathan Edwards.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Pentecost Sunday is celebrated to remind us of the coming of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son upon the church on the day of Pentecost and more importantly to remind us of our need for the power of the Holy Spirit for Christian living and Christian ministry. It is not possible to become a Christian, live the Christian life, and do Christian work without the Spirit of God. The gift of the Holy Spirit is an essential and amazing gift of divine grace to the church given to us in Christ.
As the late Anglican theologian Dr John Stott reminded us “Without the Holy Spirit, Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, even impossible. There can be no life without the life-giver, no understanding without the Spirit of truth, no fellowship without the unity of the Spirit, no Christlikeness of character apart from his fruit, and no effective witness without his power. As a body without a breath is a corpse, so the church without the Spirit is dead.” The reason why many Christians are ineffective; living in fear and unbelief; indulging in disobedience and the pursuit of worldly things and fame; and being deceived by the futile philosophies, political idolatry, and ideas of this passing age is because we are not controlled (filled) by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We need the Holy Spirit.
This Pentecost Sunday and season, I ask you to pray for yourself, your parish, our diocese and for Christians around the world, that the Lord will fill us and empower us with his Holy Spirit so that we can live for him by bearing the fruit of the Spirit and by glowing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God in the world.
Collect For Pentecost
“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.”
Lilian and I wish you a spirit-filled Pentecost Sunday and season.
The Rt Rev’d Dr. Felix Orji, OSB., is the Diocesan Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of All Nations Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) Houston, Texas.
