“He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.” (Luke 1:15) These were the words of the angel Gabriel to Zachariah about the son that was to be born by his wife Elizabeth, whom we know as John the Baptist.  

What is significant about this is that God had not been speaking through prophesy to the people of Israel, nor pouring out his Holy Spirit for several centuries before Christ.  The Book of Joel, the last prophetic work in the Old Testament, was composed around 400 B.C., and foretold the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all people at some future date.    

Gabriel is telling Zachariah that he and Elizabeth will have a son in their “old age” and that the son would immediately be filled with the Holy Spirit at his conception.  With the power of the Holy Spirit, John would prepare the people of Israel for the coming of God’s son, Jesus.

As we begin this season of Advent and Christmas, we should reflect on how privileged we are to be able to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in baptism at an early age, just like John.  This is the same Holy Spirit that gave him the power to speak and bring the people of Israel to repentance, the same Holy Spirit that enabled Peter to bring three thousand people to repentance on the day of Pentecost, and the same Holy Spirit that enabled the apostles, Paul, and the early Christians to spread the faith against unbelievable odds and persecution.

If you are not currently experiencing the Holy Spirit in this way, invite Jesus to come and live in you, and ask him to release the power of the Holy Spirit that is in you through your baptism.  As Gabriel said to Mary, “nothing is impossible for God.”  (Luke 1:37)

Many years ago, I was invited by a priest to ask Jesus to take my sins, accept his forgiveness, and renew the Holy Spirit’s presence in me.  Jesus did, and my life was forever changed. 

As Jesus said to the disciples just before his ascension, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)  

Do you experience the Holy Spirit like John the Baptist, the apostles, and many Christians today?

Ask Jesus to fan into a flame the Holy Spirit that is in you through your baptism.

The Bible encourages us to be thankful to God at all times.  St. Paul encourages us to, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” (1Thessalonians 5:16) 

After Nehemiah led an effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem following their destruction by the Babylonians, he arranged for an elaborate dedication ceremony “to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with music of cymbals, harps and lyres.”  He said, “I assigned two large choirs to give thanks.  One was “to proceed to the top of the wall on the right…and the second choir proceeded in the opposite direction.” (Nehemiah 12:27 – 47)

In a couple of days we will observe a national holiday for the purpose of thanking God for the many blessings he has conferred upon our nation.  This follows a precedent established by some of the earliest Christian settlors to the shores of this continent. 

Why is thanksgiving important to us individually and collectively as a people?

First, it helps us to acknowledge that we are not in complete control, but in fact dependent upon someone other than ourselves for some of the positive things that happen to us in our lives.  Both God and others contribute to many of our blessings.  Even abilities and talents that we may attribute to ourselves are given to us by God, and we should acknowledge their true origins.

Second, it is God’s will for us to acknowledge him and to be thankful for his provision, for as Paul says, giving thanks “is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16)   

Third, by acknowledging God and others with thanksgiving for our needs, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds.” (Philippians 4:6)

Being thankful gets us out of ourselves, brings joy and peace to our hearts, and helps align our lives with God’s will.  I continually thank God for the life he has given me, for my wife of sixty years, our children, their spouses, and their children.  This Thanksgiving we are blessed that most of us will be together to share our many blessings from God and each other’s company.     

May we pause from our busyness this week to thank the creator of all that exists for his love and provision. 

On the first day of the week following Jesus’ crucifixion,Mary Magdalene had gone to the tomb where Jesus had been laid.  She sees that Jesus’ body is not in the tomb and she is distraught.  She encounters Jesus, but does not recognize him, thinking he is the gardener.  Though she does not recognize him by sight, she does by the way he says her name. “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’” (John 20:16) It was a sound familiar to her and exclusive to their relationship.

When I was a young boy, my mother called me, “Billy.”  When I heard her call me, I didn’t have to see her to know that it was her.  My father used to call me “Son.”  Again, I didn’t have to see him when he addressed me to know that it was him.  There was a special relationship and familiarity there.  The same is true with my wife, members of my family and close friends.

This is the kind of relationship Jesus wants to have with us – one that is so close, so familiar, and so intimate, we don’t need to see him to know he is there.  At every moment he stands at the door of our heart waiting to be invited in, ready to embrace us and to offer his friendship, ready to listen to our deepest concerns and offer his wisdom — ready to say our name. “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.”  He says, “I know mine and mine know me.” (John 10:3, 4, 14)

It is easy for me to let the noise and many distractions in my life drown out the gentle whisper of Jesus.  It requires a deliberate choice on my part to stop and listen for his presence. 

How close is your relationship with Jesus?  Do you hear his gentle whisper in your thoughts?  Do you recognize him when he calls your name or seeks to offer guidance to your path?

A few years ago, my son, Steve, son-in-law, Greg, and I were boating down the Atlantic Intercostal Waterway.  On the second day we ran into gale force winds on Chesapeake Bay on our way to Norfolk, Virginia.  The winds were coming out of the northeast generating waves of five to six feet or more.  The Coast Guard had posted two flags which meant that the winds were blowing at 39 to 54 mph.  Because we were heading south and the winds were coming at our stern, it was more difficult to control the steerage of the boat. 

We of course put on our life jackets.  I asked Steve to go down in the cabin for additional ballast, and Greg to stay on the flying bridge with me to monitor our location on the GPS.  The skies were heavily overcast and visibility to shore and the markers designating the channel were marginal.  There weren’t any safe inlets along this portion of the Bay to go for cover, and it would have been too dangerous to turn toward shore with the winds and waves then hitting us broadside.

Never having experienced these conditions before, I found myself learning how to control the boat as we proceeded.  The key was not pulling back on the throttle as the boat accelerated down the front side of a wave to avoid the boat turning sideways and capsizing.  This almost happened to us early on.  It took us over four hours to reach Norfolk, which was not that far.  I was never so happy to see the outlines of an aircraft carrier through the haze at the Norfolk Naval Base. 

Because I was so concentrated on maintaining control of the boat over the entire period, I never even remembered to pray for God’s protection.  Yet we had during all of this, Jesus’ final words and promise to his disciples, “And behold, I am with you always until the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:20) This promise echoes the birth narrative, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmauel,” meaning “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:23) 

What a blessing for those who believe in Jesus, God’s Son, and Messiah, that he, his presence, and protection, are always with us, even when we are preoccupied and not thinking about him.  Thank you, Lord Jesus! 

[The picture includes Steve, son-in-law Ralph who joined us on the return trip, yours truly, and Greg.]