Come, Holy Spirit!

"Fill Me" by Liz Valente, in the Vanderbilt University Divinity Library. The artist has granted permission for the non-commercial use of this image.

"Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you see and hear." (Acts 2:33)

As I was driving this week, the oil light came on. I was down a quart. The presence of the light did not indicate that I had done anything wrong, nor did the car have any manufacturing flaws. That little indicator on my dash simply meant that I had to do something. That something was very simple and quick, but if I didn't do it soon, my car's performance would suffer.

We are in the days leading up to Pentecost (May 28) and it is appropriate to pray with the church universal, "Come, Holy Spirit!" It's an important little prayer! In praying this way, the church affirms that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon Christ's ascension to the right hand of the Father on that original Pentecost Day; since that day, the Holy Spirit has been active, working through human hearts to accomplish God's good, pleasing and perfect will on earth. At the same time, praying this short prayer also acknowledges our burning desire that the Holy Spirit continue his work in power in our midst today. "Come, Holy Spirit" is not a prayer of us telling the Holy Spirit what to do (as if we could!); rather, it is a submission of our hearts, an offering of our own hearts to be vessels where the Spirit is welcome to set up shop and work. It is us saying, we are short of the oil of the Spirit in our lives, and our spiritual performance suffers accordingly. So we ask!

It is my hope that you join us over the next ten days, and simply commit to pray together, "Come, Holy Spirit!" Over these ten days, I will share in this space ways that we can seek God's will together in praying this important prayer.

Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit! Come into my heart and flow out from there to do your good work.