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!
"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning."
John 15:26-27
Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of today’s Scripture is the reminder that we are given the Advocate. As a pediatric hospital chaplain, I have come to find the word advocate to have even greater meaning and the most positive form of power. Pediatric hospitals are full of advocates for children and families: medical teams, child life specialists, social workers, and volunteers. We are the voice of infants and sleep-deprived parents. We have the power to ensure the best possible resources are made available to them.
Similarly, the Spirit empowers each of us to be the voice of all of God’s children in need of an advocate. The Spirit empowers us to testify about the Word Made Flesh, and the author of John’s Gospel makes it clear that our testimonies must be given. As children of God, we must testify and be advocates for justice and truth because we ourselves are given the ultimate advocate.
Who needs you to be their advocate and testify in the name of Christ’s justice?
Ashley-Anne Masters
God of all children, I give you thanks for giving us an Advocate, and knowing what we need long before we do. Give me the courage to testify and advocate in the name of Christ. 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!