Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“[Jesus said] ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, May 30, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
The book of the Acts of the Apostles begins with a promise. The Holy Spirit is coming and when they do, you’re gonna know it. The Holy Spirit is coming and when they do, your life is gonna change. The Holy Spirit is coming and when they do, you will be so filled with life and love and passion and joy that you can’t help but go out and show God’s love to all the world.
Personally, I believe the Holy Spirit is fully present in a water baptism. I don’t hold with those who see it as a completely separate thing. That being said, as someone who was baptized as an infant (and therefore can’t remember it happening), I regularly need reminders of the promise. I need the Holy Spirit the assert their presence in subtle and, better yet, not-so-subtle ways to wake me up to the fact of my belonging to God, and to inspire all over again the intense gratitude and joy that spurs me to action.
Hear now this promise: The Holy Spirit is here, and claims you every moment as a beloved child of God.
How does the Holy Spirit show up in my life?
