Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, April 13, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
How bold is it to speak the word of God from behind the safety of a computer keyboard? Because, you know, that’s kind of what I’m doing. I get to dig into these beautiful (and sometimes challenging) passages of scripture and share what I personally get out of them, how they relate to life in the here and now. Like a baby sermon for every day. And if you’ve read my devotions thus far, you know I’m pretty bold (read: opinionated). I’m passionate about my faith and what I believe God is calling me to be and do and say, and I’m not shy about proclaiming that. I’d like to think it’s the Holy Spirit working in me (honestly, if pushed to pick my favorite part of the trinity, I’m all about the Holy Spirit!) though, like all people, I have to be careful not to confuse my will with God’s will.
But the bottom line is that the Holy Spirit does fill us with boldness to witness to our faith in countless direct and indirect ways every day. I have the ridiculous privilege of doing that in writing, in the hope that through it, God will inspire others in their faith. But this is hardly the only way, and there are lots and lots of people out there protesting, doing advocacy, directly serving those in need, or issuing truly bold proclamations of the word of God. And who’s to say that those working quietly behind the scenes in faith communities or service organizations aren’t by their humble actions boldly proclaiming? The Holy Spirit works in and through all of us in unbelievably wonderful ways!
How does the Holy Spirit inspire me to speak God’s word with boldness?
