Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 Gifts of the Holy Spirit-spiritual nourishment 

Bible portion: John 20:19-23 

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you.” (v. 19). 
      DEVOTION                                

In this passage, Jesus is imparting the gift of the Holy Spirit to His disciples, empowering them for their future ministry and mission. This event is seen as a precursor to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). 
Jesus' announcement of his departure from this world filled the hearts of his disciples with sorrow and obviously they felt a sense of void and uncertainty in their minds. Jesus who was sensitive to their anxiety immediately promised an alternative presence that would take care of them - the Holy Spirit. (John 16:7): "...if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you." These words of Jesus do not imply that the Holy Spirit was absent in the world and to make an appearance here he/she would have to wait for the exit of Jesus. It may not be quite right to presume that in Trinity the presence of one person cancelled the others. Jesus' physical absence will now enable the world to feel the presence of the Spirit more poignantly. The physical presence of Jesus made the presence of God more tangible for the world and naturally the invisible, intangible presence of God in the Spirit was not felt or went unnoticed. The promise Jesus made was that henceforth the world was going to experience the sustaining presence and the impact of the Spirit. 
The Spirit was not to open an altogether new chapter of ministry but to continue the act of God in Jesus and also help the world to understand the mission of Jesus in greater depth. This is evident in the change that we see in the life of the disciples. That was the transformation that the Spirit wrought in their lives. John 16:13: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth". This is a very profound assurance from Jesus about the Holy Spirit. Truth in its entirety is beyond the comprehension of human minds. 'What is truth' itself is a question that defies human understanding. We live with our own perceptions of truth which need not be right always. This is proved time and again in our life. What we had considered to be true turned out to be otherwise and vice versa. 
So we need the divine help to delve deep into the realm of truth and that precisely is what the Holy Spirit does. Jesus reminds the disciples that they are not alone in carrying out the mission. Rather, he reassures that they have the strengthening presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus breathed Holy Spirit on them. In the creation narrative we see God breathes God's breath into human beings and they become alive. So, we possess God's breath. No matter what ever circumstances that we go through as we possess God's life in us, we are more than conquerors. Disciples were brought back to life by reassuring the ever-strengthening presence of the Spirit. What an assurance for us!!!
 
Prayer
 
Loving God we thank for the everlasting peace that you have granted us. 
May the Gifts of the Holy Spirit enable us to be healers in a wounded world. Amen. 
 
Thought for the Day 

Breathe on me, Breath of God, Blend all my soul with thine, 
Until this earthly part of me, Glows with thy fire divine 
 
Rev. Jobin John Vicar Tabor & Bethany MTC's NY 

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