Un-quarantined Spirit

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8

We’ve all, by now, established some a quarantine liturgy. The novelty of quarantine has worn off and we’ve set into place some daily practices. Our morning routines and wake-up times may be adjusted. Our afternoon rituals might now include a siesta. Our evening plans have also found some regularity. We are a people who are made to worship in our work, in our patterns of the day, in our daily liturgies.

One of my new practices is to take an extended walk first thing in the morning, plodding the same three-mile course each day, praying to our Father for daily bread, praying for neighbors I’ve never met, and praying with friends via teleconference. On one of these walks, I was greeted by the back of an aged man’s head, through the bay window of his home. I saw him sitting solitary in his rocker. Lights off. Little movement.

The Spirit gave me pause to pray and petition for this man in his solitary confinement. I don’t know him from this distance. But I found comfort in knowing that the Spirit of the living God is never quarantined to remain outside of any wall, even the walls of Jerusalem. So I prayed for this faceless one for whom the Lord knows even the number of hairs on his jet-stream white hair.

Is he afraid, Lord? Give him Your peace. Is he lonely, Lord? Let him hear Your voice. Is he anxious, Lord? Provide for him your comfort. Is he hardened? Soften him with grace that causes his heart to fear You and grace his fear relieved!

What a freedom to know that the Spirit is not bound to a given place but can be called upon as a powerful force to break through walls, through chains, through fears and through hearts. It is a privilege for us as God’s people to be gifted with the eternal deposit of God’s Spirit. We can intercede for a faceless man sitting in a darkened room knowing that God sees into what we cannot. God hears what is muted by tempered glass. God knows and searches hearts in ways we cannot.

Father, may you remind us today of your limitless power gifted to us through the person and work of your Spirit. May we call upon your Spirit to break through physical and spiritual walls in order that alienated people may be welcomed into the body, the family, the home of our Father who is in heaven. Your kingdom come, on earth, and in inaccessible living rooms, as it is in heaven. Amen.

Thoughts for Reflection

Are there ways in which you find yourself putting human limits on an infinite God?

What might be some practices in your quarantine liturgy which might involve asking God’s Spirit to move into places inaccessible to you?

Chad BaudhuinMarch 31, 2020All Saints Church