Breathe on us, Breath of God someone with breathing ...

Breathe on us, Breath of God someone with breathing difficulties finding relief and
sustaining help with a puff of an inhaler or from the inflow of
Genesis 2: 4-7 Ezekiel 37: 1-14 oxygen from an air tank.
John 20: 19-23 Acts 2: 1-4; 14-18
But there is another image of the Spirit and it is one of
In Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament, the forcefulness and purpose. From the Greek word, pneuma,
word ruach can mean either breath, or wind, or Spirit. In comes our English word, pneumatic, for instance, with refers to
Greek, the language of the New Testament, the word pneuma the power of compressed air that enables pneumatic drills to
also has this threefold meaning of breath, wind and Spirit. pound through concrete, pneumatic wrenches to power off
rusted bolts or pneumatic hammers to drive tacks, brads, nails
So in both biblical languages, from Old and New and spikes deep into wood.
Testament alike, the scripture readings today tell of God
breathing the breath of life into lumps of clay. They speak of Equally, ruach and pneuma refer to wind, and not
God “wind-ing” renewed life into dry bones and relate how the simply to currents of air softly moving, but to that invisible
risen Son of God, Christ Jesus, breathed resurrection power, wind blowing with visible might and force, even to
redeeming power, forgiving power into his followers. Finally, uncontrollable degrees evidenced in tornados and hurricanes.
the scriptures tell of the Holy Spirit of God blowing vision and I remember the first time I travelled in some of the Midwestern
courage, fearlessness and power, conviction and joy into the and southern states, and was taken aback by the fact that
hearts of those same followers with which they went forth to every public building had its warning signs of what to do in
win a huddled, broken, frightened, incapacitated world for case of a tornado.
their Lord. As one writer has put it: “The coming of the Holy
Spirit is like a new creation; it is like the wakening of life from Ruach. Pneuma. Wind. Breath. Spirit. At once, a source
the dead.” When the Holy Spirit comes upon the Church, she is of power for respiration and inspiration, of motivation and
reawakened and recreated, and has power and grace breathed transformation. And the church of Christ needs all of the wind
and blown into her heart to enable her for her task of bringing and breath and power of the Spirit to give us life and vision,
and blowing life, in Jesus’ name, to a world dead in sin and power and grace to live in kingdom joy and holy might and
desperate for hope. servant purpose for the sake of our Saviour and his grace to
us.
Breathing breath. Blowing wind. Those are two different
images for the wind of the Spirit at work, and both have The question, however, is to what degree the
significance when we talk about Pentecost and the coming of contemporary church, and you and I as individuals within it,
the Holy Spirit. One on hand the image is of gentleness – for are either disinterested in or indifferent to, if not altogether
instance, of a sweet spring breeze wafting with the promise of terrified of and determinedly resistant to the wind and breath
warmth and fresh renewal after winter’s harshness; or else of a of the Holy Spirit. Oh, we might sing the great old hymn of the
cooling wind in the midst of summer’s heat. We might think of church, O breath of life, come sweeping through us, the second
verse of which prays:

O Wind of God, come bend us, break us;

Till humbly we confess our need; forgive those whom we, by our own impulse, would refuse to
Then in Thy tenderness, remake us, yield grace.
Revive, restore, for this plead.
But in fact, we have no real interest in Pentecostal outpourings Understand this: desiring and inviting and allowing the
of the Spirit that would bend our will to God’s summons and Spirit to be at work in us is dangerous and costly. It is no sweet
break our arrogant, stubborn determination so that we might religious zap or feel-good spiritual high as an end in itself. It is
cease to live life on our terms and instead allow Christ to have no bang and flash of signs and wonders, of being slain in the
his way with us and in us. We might sing for the sweeping spirit or of speaking in tongues merely for the sake of making
breath of God to come cleanse and renew us, but often in us feel pious and superior as disciples or to prove that St.
truth, if we desire the Holy Spirit at all, it is only an intermittent Andrew’s is a really “with-it” place of worship. To invite the
whiff of the insipid perfume from some Glade air freshner, Spirit is to ask Jesus Christ to have his way with us and to be at
which conveniently masks the odours and stench arising from work through his Spirit changing us, gifting us and sending us
the deadness of our souls, the lifelessness of our witness and for the sake of his heart’s desire to have the whole world learn
of lives that are all too empty of the world-changing power of and receive the glories of the riches of his love.
Christ’s extravagant, unconditional love and grace.
Let me be clear – I understand the fear and reluctance I don’t know about you, but I am very good at praying,
to let the Spirit into the church and into our lives. I have often Lord, change them. Change the other person. Change their
said that in my church experience growing up in rural heart. Help them to see things your way, which happens also
Manitoba, the experience was of God the Father, the Son and to be my way. Open their hearts to realize how wrong they are
the holy mumble. We might want the sweet fragrance of and how they need to repent and ask my forgiveness. Change
Christ’s grace to refresh us inside the holy huddle of the them, Lord. Change them. All for your glory’s sake. And my
sanctuary, but are terrified that the Spirit of God would pick us comfort.
up and deposit us in the middle of the public square in the
midst of a suspicious, heckling and even hostile world, and ask To invite the Holy Spirit, as I said, is to be intent at
us there to be the sweet fragrance of Christ. We might love to praying, Lord, change me. Heal me from fear. Save me from
worship the Lord here on our comfortable pews but dare we my pride, my selfishness, my brokenness, my sin. Save me
invite the Spirit to blow and send us into places and situations from my self. Heal me from the desire to be in control and to
where we will be of distinct discomfort for us, there to be used have everything and everyone conform to my liking and
in absolutely extraordinary ways to make evident the wanting. Oh, there is way too much of all those things in me
incredible love, mercy and kindness of Jesus, especially if that and controlling me. Worse, I am so terribly blind to my own
requires us to love unreservedly those who we, in our own fear ignorance and ugliness, and am so convinced of my sanctity
or self-righteousness, would judge to be unlovable; or to and righteousness. And I suspect I am not alone within this
church family in needing yet to be fully redeemed, healed,
cleansed and made whole and holy and beautiful for God.
Someone far wiser than I once said that the only sure sign of
our progress in faith and saintliness is in our becoming more

fully aware of how desperately we are in need of grace and change us – not anyone else. Whatever the Lord needs or
forgiveness, from the Lord and from others. wants to do in anybody else’s heart, that is between the Lord
and that person. I need to invite the Spirit to have his way with
There is a reason I emphasize this essential need to ask me, bringing me to fresh awareness of the majesty of Christ’s
the Spirit to be the change agent in my soul and life. St. Paul sacrifice and love for me, winning my heart to fresh surrender
warned the church in Ephesus against grieving the Spirit, to Christ’s truth and goodness, and then conforming me and
which we do as we sin against one another as sisters and everything in my life that I may look and live and love
brothers in the Lord. There is nothing more fundamental to increasingly like Jesus.
being a Christian than yielding true love to one another. It was
Christ’s chief command to us, and it is what identifies us as his Praise God for the strong sense of peace and unity that
followers and friends. Yet it is our unwillingness or failure to this congregation has enjoyed over the past. Praise God for his
love, to be gracious, respectful, forgiving to one another that is grace at work in our midst that, I believe, has made and kept
our greatest shame as the community of Christ. As one writer St. Andrew’s as a place of safety, of sanctuary and of healing.
said, not only are we often terribly judgmental, unloving and May it continue to be so, especially as we come more fully into
rude towards those we deem to be outside of faith and a time of transition with my retirement and a season, however
outside the church, we are downright nasty and mean to each long or short it may be, of the pulpit being vacant of a regular
other within the family. We are sheep who’ve learned to bite, minister. May peace and unity in the Holy Spirit continue even
and instead of being the safest place on earth, we’ve made the more when the time comes for a new pastor to candidate
church to be a place of bitterness, divisiveness and hurt. The before you, and if it be God’s will, to receive a call and come to
Christian church has been far too guilty of far too often acting settle among you. In such times of transition when change is
with harshness, unforgiveness, critical judgment and all around, when the “new guy” doesn’t do things the way
insensitivity to one another. We refuse to show grace. We Kerry did and when you as a congregation will need to learn to
snub, shun and shame and have the audacity to do all this as if celebrate the unique and God-ordained giftedness of a new
we are somehow serving Jesus. leader, in those times you can be sure the Enemy will be hard
at work seeking to disrupt, dissatisfy, confuse, divide and
Such attitude and behaviour compromises our calling destroy. Draw together in the strength of the Spirit and draw
to be a healing community in Christ’s name. It absolutely ruins close to God and let God, not your ego, not your anxieties, not
and invalidates our capacity to bring a winning witness of the Devil, have his way with you.
Christ’s love to the world. And it grieves the Holy Spirit.
Division, dissension and disrespect toward one another do not I’ve said in the past that one of the best prayers we can
create any welcome to the Spirit; and the Spirit will not move ask of the Lord is simply “more.” More of your power. More of
in power and mercy upon a people characterized by such your grace. More of your joy. More of your Spirit into my life,
things. and that includes more of your way, Holy Spirit, with me,
convicting, correcting, changing me. It may be, convict, correct
To invite the Spirit into our lives is first of all to ask God and change us more as your people, but first step, it is to pray
to convict us – no one else, to correct us – no one else, and to

Lord, convict, correct and change me – me, as Paul said, me Thirdly, to invite the Spirit into our lives and into our
who is the chief of sinners. Only then, secondly, do we pray the church means asking to be sent and spent, used and utilized
bold request to gift us. for Christ’s kingdom work. Do you remember when Isaiah
beheld the glory of God in the temple, and the Lord asked for
Not that the Lord has not already gifted us with a volunteer? Isaiah did not respond, “Here I am, send George.”
treasure beyond imagining. He has loved us when we were No, he responded, “Here I am. Send me.”
unlovable. He accepted us when we were unacceptable. He
gave his life for us when we were of no use to him whatever. We might long to witness the glory of the Lord. Yet
Through his death and resurrection, we are chosen, approved, when the invitation is voiced: “Who will go for us, and who will
redeemed, set free, and by his grace we are set right with God we send to help in the church office and teach the grade
and adopted as his beloved sons and daughters. And so much three/four Sunday School class and live out one’s discipleship
more are his gifts. more boldly and beautifully, more humbly and heartily in your
own homes and before your own families and within your own
But we get to pray for more gifting and empowering to circle of friends?” is not our human impulse often to reply:
be his servants and friends through whom Christ is at work Here am I! Send anyone, please Lord, but me. I’ll stay here in
winning the world to himself. Give us gifts of faith. Of the temple worshipping your glory; just don’t ask me to glorify
testimony. Of evangelism. Gifts of healing and teaching and you out in the world and demand the offering of my time,
wisdom, of prophecy and generosity and mercy. Give us and energy, service as your longed-for worship. O come, Holy
release in us the gifts of the Spirit that the watching world may Spirit, and fill someone else to overflowing.
see the power and glory and grace of Jesus flowing in and
through us, and so that the watching, hurting and hungry To invite the wind and breath and Spirit of God to
world may evidence in us the One from alone hope, joy, come blowing into our lives is to say “Here I am. Change me.
compassion, promise and grace can be found. Gift me. Send me. To be a disciple, friend, witness and fool for
Christ. Send me into the world’s pain and need with the power
I long for the release and ever fuller release of the Holy of Christ’s healing, compassion and love. Send me into the
Spirit in my life, or, to be more theologically sound, for the sorrow and suffering and darkness of the world with the
release and ever fuller release of my heart to the in-dwelling comfort, mercy and light of Christ. Send me with the
and transformative empowerment by the Spirit. And I pray and outrageous love of Christ to those who have never known
will continue to pray for the release and every fuller release of what radical forgiveness, lavish mercy or outrageous grace
the Holy Spirit in your lives and in the life of this congregation, looks like. Send me with hope to a world starving for hope.
and for the empowering, all the empowering, with which I Breathe on me, breath of God. O Wind of the Spirit, raise me
believe God wants to bless this people. Lord Jesus Christ, from whatever deadness has too long held me captive. O holy
breath on us, fill us and fill us up and fill us more with your Lord Jesus Christ, breath upon me; fill me, fill us with your
Spirit so that, as another old hymn puts it, “We may love what transforming Spirit, and your peace, and send me and use me
Thou dost love and do what Thou would do.” as you will. All for your glory’s sake.

Let us pray:

Come, Holy Spirit, come. With gentleness or with
power, just come. With Pentecostal outpouring or still small
stirring of hearts, just come. With healing of our brokenness or
with the gift to heal the broken, just come. With tongues of
fire or tongues of ecstatic speech or tongues muted by the
majesty of your love, O Spirit, just come. With grace to make
these dry bones live, with power to make us new, humble and
holy, or an infilling of gifts and graces by which to win this
world, this valley, this town to you, just come. Holy Spirit, we
are desperate for you; forgive us when and where we have
grieved you, wounding one another and failing to be a people
of grace. Lord Jesus, have mercy on us and change us. Holy
God, put a right spirit within us. So win anew by your love, that
we may at last become a people who truly forgive, love and
bless each other and all for whom your Son died. O Spirit of
God, come and have your way with us. For your kingdom’s
sake we pray.