The Spirit is a subtle presence with us—not a thing we can touch or see—and doubt can spring up so easily in us, can’t it? Doubt that God is even present, that we are even held. We can get disoriented by even the ordinary events of our lives, and we so easily forget the invisible. So, as a way to finish off this first week of Pentecost, let’s spend a few moments *remembering*, intentionally returning to those moments that we have experienced God-with/in-us, however subtle. When you think of the Spirit of God (or perhaps even of Pentecost in particular), what are the events in your own life (or week) that come to mind? Have you had times when it felt almost certain that there was someone guiding, counseling, comforting your soul? Have you ever felt met in a spiritual practice like lectio divina or imaginative prayer or contemplation, coming away with connection you wouldn’t have thought to conjure? When has God surprised you in the midst of your life? When have you found yourself living into unexpected “fruit”, that could only have come about because of the quiet, unseen, inner working of the Spirit in your depths? What would it look like to honor those moments, those parts of your story, this season, these Ember Days—as we keep attending to the fire of Pentecost and the gift it continues to offer all these generations later? What would it be to listen in to the story, not only in our own lives, but in the ones around us? To see that holy glow in the midst of our embodied humanity? You may even want to light a candle today as a picture of that dancing flame of the Spirit-with-us, and simply spend time re-membering, putting yourself and your story back together—particularly if you have felt disoriented lately. Let its steady glow—and unpredictable dancing—be a picture for you of that Presence this morning, and carry some consolation to your soul, whatever you are holding in this season.

Posted by Jamie Bonilla at 2023-06-02 13:43:02 UTC