O Blessed Spirit!

“I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” Numbers 11:29

O Blessed Spirit!

By Rev. William Dohle

  

              A few months ago, a woman at my congregation came to me and told me she’d like to work on making our own costumes for our Living Last Supper program in the spring.  “We have the workers and we’re gathering the fabric…”  and I said… Great!  Go for it!

  

              Last year, two members of my congregation came to me asking for my blessing as they sought to further their theological education.  One of them is going into Seminary, after a lifetime of soul searching.  The other is going into a lay minister program run through our larger church.  My response… Great!  Go for it!

This past week, the leader of our band, an amazing musician in his own right, was inspired to write Easter lyrics to a popular Halleluiah song.  He sent them to me, asked for my advice, and asked me what I thought of them performing the song.  A day later he added that they’d like to perform it on Good Friday too.  My response… Great!  Go for it!

I have come to understand that permission and praise are the best gift leaders have been given to share.  Permission and praise.

Permission…to explore where the Spirit is calling them.  Whether it be an inspired piece of music, a vocational change, or just a special project.  Permission is a gift given that says… “Go for it!”

Along with permission comes praise.  An essential piece of ministry!  Praise said, “Great!  Wonderful!  Awesome!”  Praise gives that extra little energy to complete the project.  Without praise, our motivation dies on the vine.  Praise is very VERY important to ministry.

 

Both of these help pastors and religious leaders stave off what is the killer of any ministry…burnout!  When you’ve been doing EVERYTHING and there’s NOTHING that is done that you don’t do…you may come to suffer burnout.

Moses did.  As the people complained about the food God had graciously given them, Moses had had enough.  He was burned out.  And he expressed it rather well too.

"I cannot carry all these people by myself, the burden is too great.  If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.” (11:14-15)            

             I cannot tell you how many times I have prayed these very words or words like it.  Ministry is draining and can sap the life out of you and your family.  I have prayed that God would end it all before.  I have been that burned out. 

          

              But God answers prayer.  And he answers this prayer too.  For Moses…and for me.

                 

              For Moses the answer comes in two ways.  For one, God sends quail upon the camp, giving his people meat and stopping their complaints…at least for a day or two.

                But another way God answers prayer occurs right after this incident.  In two people named Eldad and Medad.  These two had remained in the camp, but was not listed among the elders who received God’s spirit before.  These two were your spontaneous inspired people.  They began to prophecy in the camp and the people got upset.

                Joshua said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”

                But Moses knew that this was also an answer to his prayer.  “Are you jealous,” he says.  “For my sake?  I wish that all the people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

                I too wish this was the case.  I wish God would pour out his spirit on everyone!

                And he does!  He truly does.

                God poured out his spirit upon our musicians at St. Paul, inspiring them with lyrics and with the vision to see where that song could take them.

                God poured out his spirit among those called into ministry, both lay and ordained, at our congregation. 

                God poured out his Spirit among those called to sew and create costumes for a production that would spread the news of Jesus to the world!

                God poured out his Spirit!

                As a leader in the church, my job, like Moses’, is to affirm that and encourage that.  I won’t be stopping them anytime soon.  After all, if what they do is from God, I won’t be able to stop it anyhow.  Instead, I’ll be affirming it in love.  I’ll be giving them “permission” and encouraging them at every turn.  And I will be praising, both their work and the God through whom their work is done.

Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the Universe, for you have indeed poured out your Spirit on all flesh.  Give us eyes to see you at work in our inspired moments that everything we do may be done to your praise.  Amen.