I grew up attending worship, Sunday school, and youth group at the local United Methodist Church, within walking distance of our house on East Hendricks Street. I spent many hours at First UMC, week after week and year after year, until I went off to college.
In all that time, I never really heard anything about the Holy Spirit.
Sure, the Spirit got a weekly mention in the Doxology:
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise Him above ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Otherwise, the Third Person of the Trinity didn't get much air time.
I don't think my church was unusual in this respect. It has been my experience that churches will invoke the Trinity at baptisms and communion, and may even acknowledge Pentecost one Sunday each spring, but otherwise they avoid talking about the Holy Spirit.
Even the occasional sermon on the "fruit of the Spirit" will focus more on the fruit and less on the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing about the fruit.
Why is that?
I am currently reading - very slowly - through the book of Acts.
And it seems like getting filled with the Holy Spirit is kind of a big deal.
No comments:
Post a Comment