Saturday of the Third Week of Easter Years 1 and 2 2025

Title

Following the move of the Spirit

Outline

We often use techniques rather than follow the Spirit

There are all sorts of advice out there on how to get a parish to grow, how to gain converts to the faith, how to raise funds, and so on and so forth. Sometimes they work and sometimes they do not. And sometimes they work but the spiritual level of the congregation stays flat. Our text show us a better way.

The apostles followed the move of the Spirit

Virtually all healing miracles in Acts are evangelistic in nature. Peter arrive in Lydda to strengthen the church and is shown a paralyzed man who may or may not have been part of it. He prays, the man was healed, and “all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon” turned to the Lord.

Peter is called to Joppa because a pious woman has died. Not knowing what to do, they call Peter because he was nearby. Peter does not do a funeral but kicks out the mourners and prays, probably for directions, and commands her to rise. He had sensed the Spirit rightly and in Joppa “many came to believe in the Lord.”

And this is just the prelude to a stranger and more fraught call to Caesarea that will have more far-reaching effects.

Jesus gives us the explanation

He has fed 5,000 with a kid’s meal. He has walked on the sea in the crossing to Capernaum, and yet the people are still asking for a sign, perhaps bread from heaven. Rather than give it, he points to the real need of eating his flesh and drinking his blood. That will give “eternal life.” That upsets even his followers. Jesus responds, “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” Some, Jesus knew, had a type of sign faith, but had not been given a spiritual understanding of his words. That is why he does not try to explain further. And “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” Jesus realizes that there is no use in explaining if the Spirit is not giving understanding.

Now Jesus loses “many of his disciples” and even the Twelve do not understand but have grasped that “You have the words of eternal life.” The Spirit has given them to grasp that much. And Jesus sees unperturbed. Jesus’ ministry follows the Spirit. He is not looking for a new technique.

So, Sisters, if you want spiritual results, follow the Spirit

Techniques can be useful if the Spirit leads you to use them. But they are useless unless the Spirit leads you to use them.

So stay close to the Spirit, and this we do by calming our inner anxiety and taking time to listen to God, listen to the whisper, the tug of the Spirit. It may not make you popular as it did not make Jesus popular, or it may bring about surprising results, but you will know that whatever the results they are the work of the Spirit and thus God’s will. Amen