The Holy Spirit

The Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed states:

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. ((from the ELCA website.))

This video below comes from The Bible Project.

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  • Pentecost and the Disruptive Spirit in Acts 2 May 13, 2024Pentecost and the Disruptive Spirit in Acts 2
    The Holy Spirit shook the room where the disciples were hiding and disrupted their lives forever. The Day of Pentecost is celebrated around the world by Christians of all flavors and marked as the “birthday” of the church. Explore my visual resources to study, preach, and teach about this important day.
  • A Visual Reading of Acts 1:1-14 May 16, 2023A Visual Reading of Acts 1:1-14
    This video offers a reading of Acts 1:1-14 and the visual from A Cartoonist’s Guide to Acts. Feel free to use this as your scripture reading in worship or for your class.
  • Prepping for Pentecost | Visual Resources for Both Lectionaries on May 21, 2023 May 15, 2023Prepping for Pentecost | Visual Resources for Both Lectionaries on May 21, 2023
    This post offers visual resources for the Revised Common Lectionary and the Narrative Lectionary for May 21, 2023. This is the seventh Sunday of Easter (sixth Sunday after Easter). The RCL texts this week tell the story of Jesus preparing his disciples for his…
  • Spirit of Hope | Visual Resources for Both Lectionaries on May 14, 2023 May 8, 2023Spirit of Hope | Visual Resources for Both Lectionaries on May 14, 2023
    This post offers visual resources for the Revised Common Lectionary and the Narrative Lectionary for May 14, 2023. This is the sixth Sunday of Easter (fifth Sunday after Easter).
  • Things are Bad, God is Good | A Sermon from Joel 2:12-13, 28-29 December 12, 2020Things are Bad, God is Good | A Sermon from Joel 2:12-13, 28-29
    Things are Bad, God is Good | A Sermon from Joel 2:12-13, 28-29
  • Return to the LORD | A Visual Commentary on Joel December 1, 2020Return to the LORD | A Visual Commentary on Joel
    This PowerPoint, and the 36 images below it, provide a visual commentary on the book of Joel. They specifically focus on Joel 2:12-13, 28-29 from the Narrative Lectionary for Advent 1. Feel free to download the PowerPoint and Image Pack for free to use in your preaching, teaching, or personal Bible Study.
  • How to Deal with Disrupted Plans | A Sermon from Acts 25:1-12 August 28, 2020How to Deal with Disrupted Plans | A Sermon from Acts 25:1-12
    The Apostle Paul wanted to visit Rome. He probably never imagined that he would have to first sit in jail for two years and then be carried there as a prisoner in order to fulfill this plan. Have you ever had plans disrupted? How do we deal with it when our life gets thrown upside down? Where is God in all of the chaos? This sermon explores those things as we look at Paul’s story ...
  • What is the Goal of Spiritual Formation? June 18, 2020What is the Goal of Spiritual Formation?
    The goal of spiritual formation is to grow deeper in the love of God, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the sake of the world. God’s love is infinite, so we never fully arrive. The journey truly is the destination.
  • I Can’t Breathe | A Reflection on #georgefloyd, COVID-19, and Pentecost May 28, 2020I Can't Breathe | A Reflection on #georgefloyd, COVID-19, and Pentecost
    “I can’t breathe.” Those were the last words George Floyd spoke before he was crushed to death by a Minneapolis police officer. The city of Minneapolis burns this week. Literal flames consume a local store while rage engulfs the community and breaks out in wildfires of violence and vandalism.
  • A Cartoonist’s Guide to the Apostle Paul May 8, 2019A Cartoonist's Guide to the Apostle Paul
    A Cartoonist's Guide to the Apostle Paul
  • Finding Our Way through Fire and Water January 9, 2019Finding Our Way through Fire and Water
    Thirty years have passed. The little boys of Matthew chapters 1 and 2 are now grown up. Elizabeth’s son, John, is a wild man, living out in the wilderness, eating locusts and honey, wearing a robe made of camel’s hair. He is preaching a bombastic message of repentance and coming judgment, and people are flocking out to see him. We don’t know what Jesus has been doing for three decades. Now, he steps onto the scene ...
  • Spirit of Holiness, Fires of Judgment August 7, 2018Spirit of Holiness, Fires of Judgment
    The nation watches in horror as wildfires rage across California. “Why would God let this happen?” many ask. Here is something we must keep in mind. Forest fires are a natural process that cleans out the dead wood and unlocks the next generation of trees. It actually purifies the forest. This week in our Alive series, we continue through Brian McLaren’s book We Make the Road by Walking and come to chapter Forty-Nine: Spirit of Holiness. ...
  • Spirit of Loving Neighbor | A Sermon from the Alive Series July 24, 2018Spirit of Loving Neighbor | A Sermon from the Alive Series
  • A Visual Map of McLaren’s Chapter on Loving Neighbor June 27, 2018A Visual Map of McLaren's Chapter on Loving Neighbor
    Our sermon this weekend is part of the Alive Series and is based on Brian McLaren’s book We Make the Road by Walking, specifically chapter 43. It is titled Spirit of Love: Loving Neighbor. The chapter is so good that I decided to create a visual outline of it to help me internalize its message. It will be interesting to see how much of the sermon reflects this map. Enjoy!
  • Walking in the Spirit | A Sermon from the Alive Series June 19, 2018
    This is the second sermon from the Summer Worship Series: Alive! The question today is “How do we walk in the Spirit?” Colossians 2:6-7 gives us three keys to understanding what it means to walk in the Spirit and keep in step with how God is moving in the world. Follow the PowerPoint   Read this post to get more background in the text. Here is a visual exegesis of the text.
  • How Do We Walk in the Spirit? | A Sketch for This Week’s Sermon June 15, 2018How Do We Walk in the Spirit? | A Sketch for This Week's Sermon
    Here is the mind map for the sermon this week. We need to combine the topic of Walking in the Spirit, grounded in Colossians 2:6-7, with Father’s Day. It begins with a visual exegesis of the text. Then a visual organizing of thoughts. Pray that the sermon comes together.
  • Walking in the Spirit June 13, 2018Walking in the Spirit
    What does it mean to walk in the Spirit, and, more importantly, how do we do it? That is the big question for our sermon this weekend. The primary text is Colossians 2:6-7, and the supplemental text is John 15:1-8. Here’s the Colossians image again. This verse summarizes the process needed to walk in the spirit. First, we must acknowledge that we follow a leader. Jesus is Lord. The Lord is not Caesar. It’s not the President. It’s ...
  • The Spirit is Moving June 5, 2018
    The Alive Series begins this week. It centers on the Holy Spirit. This is our summer worship series that follows Part IV of Brian McLaren’s book We Make the Road by Walking. He sums up this week’s chapter with these words: Wind. Breath. Fire. Cloud. Water. Wine. A dove. When we open up space for the Spirit and let the Spirit fill that space within us, we begin to change, and we become agents of change. ...
  • Unity, Diversity, Interfaith Dialogue, and the Mission of the Church December 6, 2017Unity, Diversity, Interfaith Dialogue, and the Mission of the Church
    How can we find unity in a world that seems so divided with hatred and violence? That is an incredibly important question that has life and death implications. There are a few things converging this week, and today specifically, that address this question. First, our ninth grade students are currently in the process of visiting other faith traditions. We have visited a Greek Orthodox worship service, a Muslim prayer service, and a Jewish Shabbat service (unfortunately ...
  • The Holy Spirit Described by the Bible Project April 6, 2017
    Here is the latest theme video from The Bible Project. I would recommend listening to their podcasts to supplement this short video. https://youtu.be/oNNZO9i1Gjc?rel=0
  • Tim and Jon Discuss the Spirit March 8, 2017
    Tim Mackie and Jon Collins from the Bible Project are currently discussing the Holy Spirit on their podcast. This is in preparation for a new Theme Video on the Spirit, coming out soon. I listened to Part 1 and Part 2 yesterday and today and LOVED THEM. I encourage you to listen to these podcasts. The Holy Spirit: Part 1 The Holy Spirit: Part 2 In part two, they discuss Ezekiel’s vision of the ruach of God reanimating the ...
  • Can You Be Spiritual Without Being Religious? May 12, 2016
    I want to make a bold claim. You can’t be spiritual without being religious. I make this claim based upon two things. First, the term religion comes from the Latin term ligare which means connected. It is the root of the term ligament (the connective tissue in our bodies). To re-ligare, to religion, is to connect things back together. Second, the apostle Paul makes this abundantly clear in 1 Corinthians 12. He opens with the phrase, “Now ...
  • How to Bring Down a Corrupt Political System March 17, 2016
    During an election year, it is easy to get bewildered and discouraged by the politicking that fills the airwaves and clogs up the Internet. We watch in wonder as world leaders behave like children and street thugs, bullying each other, throwing around money, and allowing cruelty and injustice to go unchecked. What do we do about it? How should followers of Jesus respond? My devo reading today reminded me of the answer to that question. Our readings ...
  • How Is Jesus Revealed to the World? | A Devo on John 14:22-31 January 15, 2016
    The Journey reading for today is John 14:22-31. Here we see a classic dialogue between Jesus and a disciple. Judas (not the one who betrayed Jesus) asks a direct question and Jesus does not give a straight answer. Isn’t that frustrating? Let’s look at this passage in two ways. First, let’s address why Jesus never gave straight answers. Then we can look at the specific non-direct response to Judas’ question. Why does Jesus never give direct answers? ...
  • We Need a Helper | A Devo on John 14:11-21 January 14, 2016
    We saw in yesterday’s reading that the key word to missional theology is dwelling. The dwelling place of God is not a physical location, but the dynamic relationship between God, Jesus, and the disciples. But, how do we do that? Today’s reading, John 14:11-21, gives us the key to dwelling. It has two parts: It is all about LOVE. Jesus said that if you obey his commandments then you will dwell with God and God will dwell with ...
  • Holy Roadblocks and the Intelligence of Emotions November 25, 2015
    Is there an intelligence of emotions, or do they just lead us blindly into brick walls or over cliffs? Shouldn’t we be strong and smart and able to make our own paths? Are emotional people, especially emotional men, who like to tell stories and create art somehow weaker than “real men” who are grounded in the real world? I did not set out to ask this question today. The Spirit often leads by throwing up roadblocks ...
  • Book Review | The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age by Dwight Zscheile May 30, 2015Book Review | The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age by Dwight Zscheile
    Zscheile, Dwight. 2014. The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age. New York: Morehouse. Author: Dwight Zscheile Assistant Professor at Luther Seminary; Episcopal Priest. PhD – Luther Seminary M.Div – Yale Table of Contents Introduction Agility and Innovation Faith and Spirituality in and Insecure Age Forming and Restoring Community in a Nomadic World Failing Well, or What the Church Can Learn from Silicon Valley Disciplines of a Learning Church Organizing for Innovation Conclusion My Reflection Zscheile does an excellent job of framing the situation that the church in North ...
  • Wednesday Bible Study | Who Am I to Say It Can’t Happen? April 22, 2015
    Wednesday, April 22. Acts 11:1-18. This is a repost from the Acts study: Today we are reminded of a very important Bible Study principle. Whenever something is repeated in Scripture it is a strong indication that this is a very important thing that needs to be given attention. In today’s reading we see the duplication of Peter’s experience with Cornelius. Luke could have easily said that Peter simply told them what happened and saved himself a lot ...
  • Wednesday Bible Reading | It’s More than Magic April 15, 2015
    Wednesday, April 15. Acts 8:4-25. (this is a repost from the Acts study) In the 1 st century the practice of the magic arts was widespread across the world. Even though it was officially illegal according to the Roman law, it was common practice among the people. The basis of magic was a belief in the spiritual forces of the universe. Each group had its own names for the spiritual realities. Some thought that they were gods ...
  • Friday Bible Reading | Signs and Wonders April 10, 2015
    Friday, April 10. Acts 5:12-16. Note to the regular devo reader: We have abruptly jumped into the book of Acts. If you would like an introduction to Acts, I invite you to read here. Now onto today’s reading… The book of Acts is a description of what the first generation of Jesus followers were like. The first few chapters give us little portraits of the church. Today’s reading forms the third “portrait” of the first church in ...
  • What Did We Learn About Spiritual Formation? January 8, 2015What Did We Learn About Spiritual Formation?
    It is time to attempt a simple synthesis of what the research revealed in direct relation to the research question itself. The data seem to indicate that an increased awareness and understanding of the social Trinity impacted the ideation and praxis of spiritual formation in the RT members in two primary ways. A Directional Shift Vertical-Personal Spirituality First, it provided new language and attentiveness to the active presence of the Holy Spirit in the world. Each team member ...
  • The Holy Spirit, Twitter, and Practical Wisdom July 17, 2014
    I believe the Holy Spirit moves through Twitter. I know that sounds weird, but the story I am about to tell is one that has happened often to me. Yesterday I started writing an essay about dualisms and how we can navigate between seemingly polarized opposites. I’ll post it when it is finished. This morning I opened up Twitter and the first tweet I saw was from Brain Pickings and was a link to Maria’s review of ...
  • Finding the Entangled Trinity in the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20:1-19 June 30, 2014
    Finding the Entangled Trinity in the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20:1-19
  • The Spirit of Pentecost | A Sermon for Pentecost – Acts 2:1-21 June 14, 2014
    Sermon: What Language Does God Speak? Text: Acts 2:1-21 I want to begin today by asking a question. What language does God speak? Think about that for a second. The Bible records many stories where people heard God speak. What language did he speak? If you were to ask this question to the churches that I grew up in, many people might have said, “Well, that’s easy. God spoke King James English. Everybody knows that.” Thou which art ...
  • The Trinity and the Day of Pentecost June 9, 2014
    Spirit of pentecost sermon slides Acts 2:1-21 from Steve Thomason When you’re a hammer, everything is a nail. I’ve heard that expression used to describe how teachers can manipulate any text to fit their own theological agenda. I have to admit that the relationality of the Trinity is at the forefront of my mind in all things these days, and tends to be the hammer that makes everything look like ...
  • Experiencing the Disruptive Nature of the Spirit April 17, 2014
    Part of my research focuses on exploring the sense-making process of walking with the Spirit in community (specifically, how this works in the suburbs). Let me walk through the events and conversations of the last week in an effort to make some provisional sense from it for my own life, for my research, and for the life of the community of which I am a part. Two Sundays ago I preached on the Third Way of ...
  • Book | God the Spirit by Michael Welker April 7, 2014
    Welker, Michael. God the Spirit. 1st English-language ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994. The Author – Michael Welker Welker is the Director of the Research Center for International and Interdisciplinary Theology at the University of Heidelberg. This book has had a significant impact on my research. The key ideas that I glean from Welker are that the Spirit is pluriform and polycentric. In other words, the Spirit takes on many different forms (pluriform) throughout the world, depending upon the ...
  • Sealed with a Promise | A Sermon on Ephesians 1:1-14 August 12, 2013
    Text: Ephesians 1:1-14 listen to audio Sealed with a Promise | A Sermon on Ephesians 1:1-14 from Grace Lutheran – Andover, MN I have an important question today. Are you a springer, or an oozer? I’m talking about how you get out of bed in the morning. Do you spring out of bed, excited to do what you have to do, or do you slowly ooze out of bed, wondering if it is even ...
  • Book | The Trinity and the Kingdom by Jürgen Moltmann June 25, 2013
    Moltmann, Jürgen. The Trinity and the Kingdom: The Doctrine of God. 1st HarperCollins paperback ed. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991. Author Jürgen Moltmann (born 8 April 1926) is a German Reformed theologian who is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the University of Tübingen. Moltmann is a major figure in modern theology and was the recipient of the 2000 Grawemeyer Award in Religion, and was also selected to deliver the prestigious Gifford Lectures in 1984-1985. He has ...
  • Book | The Ministry of the Missional Church by Craig Van Gelder June 8, 2013
    Van Gelder, Craig. The Ministry of the Missional Church: A Community Led by the Spirit. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2007. Author read about Craig Van Gelder in this post. My Thoughts This book covers the bulk of the material we discussed in the class that Van Gelder taught called The Hermeneutics of Leading in Mission. Our conversations centered around Van Gelder’s model of Spirit-Led decision making in the last half of the book. Our final project for that ...
  • Article | Unity Through Spirit and Praxis by Joel Halldorf March 16, 2013
    Halldorf, Joel. “Unity through Spirit and Praxis: An Unsystematic Approach to Pentecostalism and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.” Ecumenical Review 59, no. 4 (2007): 483-490. This morning I was following some trails along the lines of Christopraxis. An underlying question that has been following me along this research project has been one regarding the Holy Spirit. Why do we not speak more of the praxis of the Spirit, as well as the praxis of ...
  • The Work of the Holy Spirit in Spiritual Formation December 17, 2012
    My rereading of Dallas Willard’s Renovation of the Heart sparked many questions for me. One of them has to do with the role of our individual will as it relates to the work of the Holy Spirit. In search of conversation partners, I first turned to Stanley Grenz’s tome, Theology for the Community of God. He reframes the conversation by speaking of God’s proleptic work of salvation and the Holy Spirit’s function of bringing about ...
  • God Breathes – A Sermon for Pentecost June 13, 2011
    text Acts 2:1-21 and John 20:19-23 I like to breathe. Breathing has been a big part of my life. In fact, I think I can’t live without it. Try it with me. Take in a deep breath. Feels good, doesn’t it? When I was in choir they taught us how to really breathe. You breathe in through your nose as long as you can, and then, just when you think you can’t anymore, you suck in a little ...
  • A Mighty Wind June 9, 2011
    If you were a citizen of North Minneapolis or Joplin Missouri and you heard the words, “there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting,” how might you react? Wind is a mysterious and powerful thing. Sometimes it is a violent force that rips through neighborhoods and leaves a pile of sticks in its wake. Sometimes it is a gentle breeze that brings ...

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