I Believe in the Holy Spirit

I would be lying if I didn’t say that this part of the creed pisses me off.  I think the Holy Spirit is grossly underestimated and ignored.  One of my absolute favorite church Holidays and stories in the Bible has to be Pentecost.  I mean, seriously… not only did Peter give the sermon of his life and tongues of fire land on the heads of the apostles, but they were all able to speak in the languages of the people in the city.  Think about it, these guys are former fishermen and what not.  What is the likelihood of them knowing various languages and dialects that were represented in the city filled with outsiders?  Very slim. 

The reason I think the Holy Spirit is underestimated is because of the way we talk about him.  It’s like the only thing we believe he is capable of is giving us nudges and feelings about what God wants us to do.  I’m sorry, but the story of Pentecost suggests something a little more intense than a nudge or feeling.  For real, he does the work.

There have been times where I have been worshiping and the air feels thick and electric, but not oppressive in any way.  Sometimes, that happens even when I am alone in my car or on my bed journaling.  It is the unmistakable presence of the Holy Ghost.  I love those moments of connection; they help me get through the times I don’t feel connected. 

There have been some times when I have had the unmistakable feeling that a friend I am around needs prayer.  Or, sometimes when I stand up to give a talk or even just answer questions from friends the words have just come out of my mouth.  There is a certain truth that is communicated in those instances that I can’t conjure up on my own.  These are clearly instances of the Holy Spirit moving. 

The reason this part of the creed pisses me off is because God the Father and Jesus both get whole sections in the creed and the Holy Spirit seems to be an afterthought.  I suppose that could be because it is so hard to really understand the Holy Spirit.  We are not really wired to understand the way he works.  Maybe the lack of explanation comes from the Church Fathers not really knowing what the heck to even say about the Holy Spirit.  Even if that is the case, it is too bad.  I feel we interact on a daily basis with him, I wish we didn’t take that for granted.