Show by actions that Holy Spirit lives in you

Joe Miller Jr.

Luke 3:15-22

The first century AD had to be a despondent time for the people of Israel. They considered themselves God's chosen people. God had initiated a covenant with them through Abraham some 1800 years earlier; yet, it seemed like God had abandoned them.

For many years they had been the conquered and oppressed by a number of empires that had come and gone. The most recent oppressor nation was Rome. Rome occupied and controlled the entire area around Israel. The one hope that the people of Israel had was the expectation of a Messiah; a king in the Davidic linage, who would come and deliver them as God had done so many times over the centuries.

John the Baptist provided the introduction for Jesus and his ministry. Just prior to beginning his ministry to the world, Jesus was baptized by John. The scripture says that "…when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.

And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." The three persons of the Trinity, in unity, began the earthly ministry of Jesus. The Holy Spirit would empower Jesus to remain obedient to the will of the Father, and the Father speaks from heaven affirming His Beloved Son.

The narrative continues from this point with the temptations from the devil, whom Jesus will defeat by remaining obedient to the Father.

A Hollywood movie of this event would probably be very dramatic with spectacular special effects. We do not know what this event looked like. We only know the result. If the door to heaven and God had been perceived to be shut, it was now wide open. The Holy Spirit and the Son were now in the world in a very unique way to bring peace, healing, social justice, and redemption to all people.

The scripture does not say that heaven closed after this event, nor does it say that the Holy Spirit returned to heaven. The door is still open, and the Holy Spirit is still present in the world.

At times, we may feel that God is far away and does not hear our prayers or has abandoned us in our sufferings. Not so. There is no barrier between God and His people, only the barriers that we impose. God does not have any barriers, and He has sent His Holy Spirit to empower us to be obedient to His will and remain His faithful children.

The Holy Spirit was very evident in Jesus' life. While we cannot become perfect as Jesus was, we can show the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives by being obedient to God's will for our lives.

As we begin 2007, perhaps we can all pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives that we may be empowered as Jesus was. I hope and pray that you have a very blessed and prosperous 2007! Email me a t newtonumc@valornet.com with your thoughts.

Joe Miller Jr. is pastor of First United Methodist Church of Newton.