On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon Christians gathered in Jerusalem and the Church was born. From that point forward, we have understood God’s Spirit to be—in some mysterious, unquantifiable way—the animating force that guides, strengthens, and equips God’s people to carry on the work of Jesus in the world. This series considers the four key metaphors for the Spirit of God—breath, wind, fire, and dove—in order to better understand this least-understood member of the Trinity.
Breath
Sunday, May 9, 2021
Audio Video Genesis 2:4b-7 & John 20:19-22
One important metaphor for God’s spirit in scripture is BREATH. This breath shows up at a few key moments in the biblical story, and these moments reveal to us the foundational nature of the work of God’s spirit for the life of faith.
Wind
Sunday, May 16, 2021
Audio Video Genesis 1:1-2 & John 3:1-9
God’s spirit shows up at times in scripture as WIND. When we imagine the movement of God in the world as wind, we embrace unpredictability, discomfort, and mystery. The wind of God surrounds us, spooks us, and stirs us up.
Fire
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Audio Video Malachi 3:1-6 & Acts 2:1-13
The Holy Spirit descends as tongues of fire on the Day of Pentecost and the church is born. Fire reveals something important about the working of God’s spirit, and it has everything to do with the gospel and the fledgling movement that began to share it.
Dove
Sunday, May 30, 2021
Audio Video Genesis 8:6-12, 20-22 & Matthew 3:13-17
The fourth and final biblical metaphor of the Holy Spirit is the dove. When we connect the dove that descended upon Jesus at his baptism with the dove from the story of Noah, we discover God’s spirit at work in bringing about something new in this world and in us.
