“Meteor-Theo-logy”

 I have had an interest in weather since I was a youth.  In junior high school I took a weather science project to the State Science Fair and won a first place.  I had a “weather station” mounted on the roof of our house equipped with an electronic rain gauge, anemometer, and wind direction indicator.  I ran the wires from the roof down inside the chimney to my “lab” in the basement of our house.  Of course, it eliminated the fireplace of its intended use, much to the distress of my parents.  I considered being a meteorologist but God interrupted my intentions moved me in a different direction. Instead of meteorology my focus became theology.

 This morning I have the opportunity to combine the two: meteorology and theology. I may have coined a new word: “Meteor-Theo-logy?”   

 Weather not an exact science, even though the technology to forecast the weather is highly sophisticated compared to just a few decades ago. What makes it so difficult is that the atmosphere is dynamic.  It is constantly changing.  Predicting the weather is analogous to hitting a moving target.  I find it interesting that if a major league baseball player hits the moving target of the baseball 30% of the time we praise him and say he is a great hitter.  Meteorologists actually forecast the weather accurately 87% of the time, but even so, people seemingly love to pick on them.   The point is weather is dynamic – always changing – hard to pin down exactly – even with advancing technology.   

That’s exactly the way it is with the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is hard to predict or pin down.  Jesus talked about that.  In John 3 he said, “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from of where it goes.  So it is… with the Spirit.” 

 In Hebrew the same word is used for “wind, breath and Spirit” – “ruach.”  In Genesis 1 we hear that “a wind (ruach) from God swept over the waters” setting loose the dynamic, creative energy of God.  

 In Ezekiel’s great vision of The Valley of Dry Bones, it was the “wind” and “breath” (ruach) of God that entered the lifeless forms and resurrected them to new life. 

 In John 20, Jesus “breathes” on his disciples (breath) and bestowed the authority to forgive sins. 

 And in our scripture from Acts 2, a sound came like the rush of a “mighty wind” and it filled the house and the Holy Spirit gave them the ability “to speak in other languages.”

 Creative power; raising the dead; transformation; forgiveness; the gift of speech;  the Spirit of God is dynamic - ever-moving - every challenging – ever-changing – ever-surprising - much like the wind.

 One thing we can be sure of is that the Holy Spirit continues the ministry of Jesus Christ in the world.  The Holy Spirit is not just any spirit, but the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the risen Jesus.  In our gospel for today Jesus promised his disciples “the Holy Spirit (will come) in my name and will teach you… and remind you of all that I have said to you.”

 Back to “meteor-theo-logy” -  in the 1700s, a cabin boy in the British Navy began to keep a meteorological journal so that he could stay on top of weather conditions. His name was Francis Beaufort, and he grew up to become a Rear Admiral, serving the Navy for 68 years. Over the course of his career, he developed a method for measuring the wind that became known as “The Beaufort Wind Scale.”  His scale was based on his recorded observations of the affect the wind had on the ocean waters. 

The Beaufort Wind Scale has 12 ever-increasing measurements beginning with “calm”; then “light breeze”; then “gentle breeze”; then “moderate breeze;” then “fresh breeze”; then “strong breeze”; then “near gale”; then “gale”; then “severe gale”; then “storm”; then “violent storm”; and finally “hurricane.”

 I believe we can use the Beaufort Scale to describe the work and effect of the Holy Spirit.

 Let’s talk about Calm or light breeze of the Spirit. These are the times when the Spirit-wind gives us serenity and peace. “Peace be with you,” Jesus said when he appeared to the frightened disciples after his resurrection. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” giving them the power to forgive sins (John 20:21-23). When the Spirit Scale reads “calm” or “light breeze” we know that we belong to God; have a sense of purpose and direction; sense the Lord’s comfort and assurance even if storms are raging around us.   When the Spirit comes as a light breeze it is like being held in the assuring and comforting arms of a loved one.

Sometimes the Spirit comes as a strong breeze.  This is a Spirit-wind that has a creative quality to it and leads us to surprising changes and new directions. In the Bible, this is seen in the “wind from God” that swept over the face of the waters at the moment of creation, and began to order and goodness out of chaos (Genesis 1:2).

The strong-breeze of the Spirit brings spiritual gifts to the believer and to the church, equipping each of us to carry forth a unique ministry and mission in the name of Jesus Christ. 

This is the strong breeze of the Spirit that, I believe, if we are open to it, can lead SOTH into new and creative programming and ministry.

When we head into a situation where new directions, fresh opportunities and unlimited possibilities face us, we look for the “strong breeze” of the Holy Spirit to empower us according to the will of God.

Higher up the scale is the Holy Spirit as a “gale,” a force that breaks unhealthy patterns and shakes up the status quo. In a world that so often fights fire with fire and responds to violence with even more violence, the Spirit gives the power and courage to go in a different direction; to go against the flow; bestows courage to stand up for Christ when we are ready to cave in to cowardice and peer pressure.

This is a powerful Spirit-wind that can knocks us off balance and pushes us out of our comfort zones.

This is the Spirit-wind that came upon the prophets and leaders of the Old Testament when they were empowered for specific tasks and missions, sometimes against their own will, at great personal sacrifice.

We need to ask ourselves: Are we willing to be blown in this direction? 

 There have been several key times in my life when the Spirit has entered as gale force wind.  It has been those times of a major change in direction that always moved me from comfort to a sense of vulnerability and in a whole new direction.  At those times I have prayed for the courage and resolve to see it through and to be carried where the gale-wind of the Spirit was blowing.  .

Finally, at the top of the scale is the Holy Spirit as a “hurricane.” This is what hit Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, turning the lives of the apostles completely upside down. They were uprooted and redirected from looking inward at themselves to looking outward toward a world in desperate need of the gospel; a world that needed the love of God in Jesus Christ.  They were changed from fearful disciples into fearless evangelists, and they boldly headed off into the world with a powerful and transforming mission that burned white-hot in their hearts and souls.

When hurricane force Spirit-winds blow across the landscape of our souls and our common life together, little or nothing is ever the same.  Hurricanes can release the energy of a 10-megaton nuclear bomb exploding every 20 minutes. In the same way, when you look at the hurricane wind of the Day of Pentecost, you see the power of God at work in its most dramatic expression. You see the breaking down of language, culture and national barriers - the empowering of frightened disciples - the courageous sharing of Christ with the world.

 There’s a saying in Colorado, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a half hour.”  As dynamic and sometimes unpredictable as Colorado weather is, so is the work of the Holy Spirit. 

 Jesus promised his followers that after he was gone God would send the Holy Spirit; that God would not leave them alone and orphaned, but strengthen and empower them to keep them faithful disciples.  The Day of Pentecost arrived and his promise was fulfilled.  But everyday is a Day of Pentecost.  Everyday the Holy Spirit is at work extending the ministry of Jesus Christ.

  I only pray we individually and as a congregation will be open to the changing winds of the Spirit.  God grant us the discernment to perceive and the courage to not resist, but open ourselves to be carried by the wind of God!  Amen.