“If
you invoke as Father the One who judges all people impartially according to
their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You
know you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not
with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of
Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.” 1 Peter 1:17-18 NRSV
“You
were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” 1
Corinthians 6:20 NRSV
“We
cannot express what we have never experienced ourselves.” Me
Praying
for the gift of the Holy Spirit in this week’s prayer service at our church, it
occurred to me in the devotion that we often cannot grasp the reality of our
redemption because we have never experienced real persecution or bondage.
It is impossible to fully understand what it means to have been set free if we
have never been physically bound or restrained.
Before
there was official Church doctrine or dogma about what prayers to say and what
things to do before being baptized into the Church, Peter and Paul were both
speaking to people who likely had no idea about Jesus. Maybe they had
heard some things, but they did not really know about being set free if their
personal circumstances had not really changed.
Yet
the apostles are speaking to a reality that had taken place even as the people
were not aware. Taking it further, it can be said there were likely skeptics
among the crowds who would simply not believe what these crazy men were
saying! Believe or not, however, and know it or not, “you were bought
with a price”. That is, before we’ve even had a chance to learn
more about it, this remarkable act of Divine Love took place whether we know it
or believe it, whether we want it or choose to deny it.
Word
of mouth is a powerful means of communication when a story comes from someone
who actually witnessed something. St. Paul saw none of what Peter had
seen, and yet he put his life on the line to convey what he knew to be
true! That is the Spirit working within Paul, so Paul could preach not
merely what he might believe but what he discovered to be true.
This
is why praying for the gift of the Holy Spirit may probably be the single, most
important petition we can lift up to The Lord. We cannot appreciate nor
feel nor express that which we know nothing about – and we need
to know! For the sake of the Church today and our immortal souls
tomorrow, we need to know!
I
encourage us all to make this specific petition central to our devotions
because no book, no Bible, no preacher, no priest can make this real for
us. This is the unique and sole task of the Holy Spirit, the essence of
the Eternal God; to show us, to teach us, and to comfort us in this
reality. Once we become aware, then a response is required.
The Holy God desires that all be saved on The Day of The Lord. What will
our answer be?
Come,
Holy Spirit, come!
Michael
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