Moving in / with the Spirit

I feel like theologians have done a pretty good job articulating beliefs about God the Father and God the Son ad naseum. We understand Jesus, in a sense, because he's human like us, and calling someone father makes them easier to relate to (even easier in a negative way - like, if you had a poor father, it is easier to relate to God as Father poorly.)

But the Spirit? Kinda scary. We've seen fathers, and there are people whose writings we trust who have seen Jesus . . . but by his very definition (Spirit) no one has actually seen this third person. And so there is a sense of mystery and, given our fear of things unknown, a tinge of apprehension. We like to KNOW - the entire enlightenment period, and the fields of science and mathematics that flourished under it, are built on the premise that things can be KNOWN. Entire fields of study rest on the constancy of certain things - where would physics be without its laws? Or aerodynamics without Bernoulli? Or chemical engineering without the table of elements? It's a comfort to know that certain things in this earth always act a certain way all the time. We like that they are predictable - it makes them safe.

On the other hand, we have this being who calls Himself God and exists among us know as the Holy Spirit, and we're told that He indwells us and fills us and comforts us and teaches us . . . and because He doesn't have a sweet clue how to exist as a formula, we're not sure what to do.

Let me be clear on what I'm trying to say . . . there are certain ways of addressing the Spirit that I think fall well short of how we should, as much as they come from hearts with good intentions. 'We invite you, Spirit, into this place . . " K, he's already here, already at work. "Spirit, be with us tonight." Again, already here guys. There's two or three gathered in my name . . .

And I don't the school of thought that says that the Spirit works in an orderly fashion. There is a certain amount of disruption on Pentecost - peoples lives are NOT the same after encountering the Spirit. And if you should dare follow where He is leading, it will hardly seem safe or orderly.

The first big decision by the church at the Jerusalem council was not marked by certainty - rather, they said that "it seems right to us and to the Spirit . . " And here is the crux. If you really want to follow this wild and dangerous God who is by no means safe, but is GOOD, you have to be willing to let go of your own rights to control. There is a certain amount of uknown that will always be there. Math and science provide an area to prove thigns with 100% certainty. God? He provides opportunities to dare to believe in what you cannot see as of yet, to dream big and live full. It's kinda like what I imagine white water rafting to be - it's not dangerous per se, but not predictable. Yet the very thing propelling you onward toward rapids is what is ensuring you WILL get there safely. Just don't try to do it alone.