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Message from Pastor Spears

HS: Out of confining boxes

By Pastor Heather Spears

Every Tuesday morning, the pastors gather around a table to figure out the worship schedule. Each with a little red calendar in one hand and a pencil in the other, we sit in front of a blank grid with tons of little squares. In attempts to orchestrate Sunday morning holy chaos, we throw our designated initials into little boxes. There is a box for preaching, celebrating communion, leading Bible study, baptizing, singing the liturgy, etc… The hope is that everyone will fill in the boxes and show up where they need to be.

My particular initials happen to be HS for Heather Spears. This causes confusion for some churchy types because the initials HS also represent the Holy Spirit. The question that could arise is: who’s going to show up, Heather Spears or the Holy Spirit? It would be unfair to think the Holy Spirit is limited to just one churchy person, even if it is myself. Furthermore, it’s untrue to believe the Holy Spirit could fit into such a teeny box on our 8½x11 worship schedule controlled by a few flicks of lead on white paper. The best we could all hope for is the Holy Spirit to be sprawling across every page of our lives, unlimited by boxes and initials but expanding from every crevice. And yet, the initials HS remain, fitting neatly into our organized grid of holy chaos.

The Holy Spirit has always been the elusive member of the Trinity. In church, we spend a lot of time talking about the Creator God, even more on the big JC (Jesus Christ). While the HS (Holy Spirit) has to sit on the bench, eagerly waiting for a chance to get in the game. A conversation on the basketball court might sound like: “Hey, Guys! Throw me the ball, I’m over here!” “Where?!!!”

People tend to forget the HS, assuming it’s some sort of mystical super ghost blowing around the atmosphere. They credit HS for all kinds of strange happenings, speaking in tongues, being on fire for the Lord, attending to miracles great and small. The HS is everywhere and nowhere, contained but not restrained. People sense the HS, but can’t see it.

Many new members of St. Paul use words like energy, vitality, life force, holy hub-bub, and enthusiasm to describe this place. They are identifying and sensing the work of HS without quite being able to put their finger on it. They know it’s here, living among us, and at times they may even experience what they call “spirit-filled worship.” Yet, they are unable to name the HS.

One of my mentors told me that the HS is everywhere in the world. We bump into it every day, but don’t know what it is because it’s hidden. What we really need is for someone to turn on the lights, shout in our ears, and direct our hearts towards Jesus Christ. It’s on the cross where this breath of life is given to all. The Holy Spirit connects us to the heart of Jesus Christ. His death is our life; his life is our life.

Each of us is given the gift of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. In our baptisms, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever. This is why pastors mark the sign of the cross on your forehead when you come up for a blessing. The Holy Spirit is alive in each of us as we live and breathe together in this place. It is the Spirit’s power that sends us out into the world to be Christ for our neighbor. This is not limited to a Sunday-morning worship activity, or even a pastors’ meeting gathered around a table filling in little schedule grids.

May we all feel free to move beyond the confining boxes of our lives to be about the Spirit’s work. Feel free to use the initials HS if the Spirit moves you.

Pastor Heather Spears,

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