…but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God ~John 1:33b-34
Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.~1Corinthians 1:7
We are entering a period of time in the church calendar known as Ordinary Time. During ordinary time we focus on the Kingdom of God and our role in it. Today’s readings reflect our baptism and ministry in the Holy Spirit. In the Gospels we read that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit, filled with joy through the Holy Spirit, and returned in Power filled by the Holy Spirit- there are many more examples. John tells us that Jesus Baptizes in the Holy Spirit and Paul informs us in 1Corinthians that we have every spiritual gift. What does this mean? What is “ordinary”?
The life and ministry of Jesus during his time on earth was all through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. This is the same Spirit that indwells the believer. This is the same Spirit that Genesis tells us hovered over the face of the earth during creation. The Spirit present and active during creation empowers Jesus to demonstrate the authority of the Kingdom of God over the effects of sin on creation. The same Spirit dwells in us giving us the same ability to reveal the Kingdom to the world. Jesus’ life, his ability to heal, deliver from evil spirits, raise the dead, teach, lead people into God’s kingdom, and have insight into men’s heart is meant to be a picture of the ordinary Kingdom life. All these things should be present in the church to demonstrate the reality of the Kingdom to the whole world. I want to encourage each of us to reflect on Jesus’ Ordinary time on earth and prayerfully seek for God to make it a reality in our church as we go through this season of the Ordinary.
Billy Wint
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