Come, Holy Spirit!
Come, fill our minds with your vision.
Come, fill our souls with your passionate fire.
Come, fill our mouths with words from your tongue.
Come, fill our hearts with your unconditional love.
Come, Holy Spirit!
"But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."
John 16:4-11
“It is for your own good that I am going away,” is likely not the most comforting thing Jesus ever said to his disciples. Yet any of the disciples with parents, grandparents, or older siblings, had likely heard “it’s for your own good” before.
While this may have left a bitter taste in their grieving mouths, Jesus continued to explain his reason for tangibly leaving them. “Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” At that point, hopefully the disciples began to grasp that the very reason they grieved, Jesus’ absence, was the exact avenue for the Advocate’s appearance. While they would no longer be able to see Jesus, they would most certainly feel, sense, and see the presence of the Advocate in their midst.
Thank God we have an Advocate who isn’t afraid to teach and redirect us with a love-filled “it’s for your own good”! May God grant us the humility to hear the constructive criticism of the Divine.
Ashley-Anne Masters
God, you know me better than I will ever know myself. Thank you for loving me enough to continue to teach me what's in my best interest, rather than allowing me to stay as I am. In the name of your child who embodied good news, Amen.
Go, Holy Spirit!
Go blow away that which is destructive to ourselves and others.
Go resuscitate and breathe life into those in distress.
Go before us, leading us in the way of truth and hope.
Go, in spite of our attempts to rein you in and keep you confined.
Go, Holy Spirit!