A Wonderful Thing Happened

Yesterday morning I set out to preach what I thought was an ordinary - if not too simple - sermon.  The sermon was about the giving of the Holy Spirit and about how this was something that had been seen throughout the history of God's people.  I talked about how the giving of the Holy Spirit went "viral" on the day of Pentecost and asked if we wanted a church that was a "form of religion" or one that gave evidence of the power of God.
Now the Holy Spirit is as the Holy Spirit is and the Holy Spirit does as the Holy Spirit does.  You can't see where it comes from or where it is going, but like the wind you can hear it and see evidence of its work.  So it was as I preached this ordinary sermon that God's Spirit came and took over.  People present became electrified by the message, and I found words being added to what I had planned because God gave inspiration. Before you knew it, many of the people present realized that they were being touched by the power of the living God.  I'd love to bottle God's action and let it out at all the "right" moments so that I could be in control of it, but that is not possible.  God works on his timetable and at moments we don't expect.  One thing I do know is Jesus promised that when we ask God does send his Holy Spirit.  He said:  "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven given the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" (Luke 11:13)

We serve an awesome God.  God is good... all the time.