A Hole in Our Bucket

A Hole in Our Bucket

Good Morning Friends,

Today we continue or journey to Pentecost and as we approach this feast day I am reminded of the Spiritual, Every Time I Feel the Spirit. Its relevant lyrics for today’s devotional go like this: “On the mountain, my Lord spoke, out His mouth came fire and smoke. Down in the valley, on my knee, asked my Lord have mercy please.” Friends, today we hopefully are moved to prayer as we face the reality that when it comes to distributing the infinite gifts of God, dividing them does not diminish them. Friends, each day we constantly need to be refilled with the Holy Spirit because even though we might have divided tongues, and distributive power we still have A Hole in our Bucket.

Scripture: Bless the Lord, O my soul.  O Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honour and majesty, ² wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent,³  you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, ⁴ you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your
ministers. ⁵ You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken. ⁶ You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. ⁷ At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.⁸ They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys to the place that you appointed for them.⁹ You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth. ¹⁰ You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills, ¹¹ giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses quench their thirst. ¹² By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches.¹³ From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. ¹⁴

Psalm 104:1-13 (NRSV)

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷²¹

Acts 2:1-6 (NRSV)

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

Joel 2:28 (NIV)

Message: Psalm 104 is a wonderful meditation to pray as we approach Pentecost. It presents the backstory for what happens during the 50 days of growing after the Passover. And Passover helps us to remember this miracle of deliverance manifested in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Also the Psalm beautifully hints at the flood and the time when the world had one tongue and therefor to The Tower of Babel. So this morning I meditate on this time of maturing but also the coming time for us to gather in one place to celebrate a harvest…the fruit of what has been planted and nurtured… the first fruits as gifts to God. For it is here we are to be given the power of a biblical jubilee with its restoration, freedom and salvation to share. It is here debts are forgiven. So this morning I pray for this time of ingathering but also a time of out scattering. I pray for a daily Pentecost. And it is into this story the followers of Jesus come and they begin speaking in one tongue like the family of Noah after the flood and they sit down and then the Holy Spirit that was promised suddenly comes in when they do not expect it and sends them spinning off to the ends of the earth as Jesus had commissioned them to do. And it is here we are confronted with the reality that these first Christians had their needs met because this community held their possessions in common and divided the resources among all, each according to their need. This Holy Spirit dividing was manifested in the distribution of their possessions and this made possible but also made necessary a fellowship of unity, a sharing of gifts and blessings to meet the needs of all. Here we see the opposite of the confusion of Babel. Here we see purposeful economics that manifest a purposeful speech. It is clear transactions and clear speech. It is communication and commerce that knows the divisions between us and yet is not afraid and not confused. This Sunday we will be in church a people who gather in one place. It really should be a day of giving back to God all that God owns. But we will sit in the house and will not stay for long. The Holy Spirit moves and we will move too. The Holy Spirit will spread and scatter and send. But there is a warning here for if you are a Christian, the tongues of fire have already descended upon you. You have already received this gift. You are called to see and to speak, to heal, and to set free. You are called to give with a radical generosity. And so it is time for you all to declare the Gospel and prophesy and testify and preach. If you think that is not your calling, think again. The Spirit has a plan. The Spirit is going to set you in motion and spread you and scatter you. The Spirit is going to send to cover the earth like a flood.

Pray we have the Holy Spirit in us to prepare us to witness, transform us and unite us. ¹Pray that God would breathe new life into the church and knock down walls and start mixing people up in such a storm of renewal and revival as in those first fruits of Pentecost. Pray we bring out gifts to be shared believing that God will multiply them infinitely. Pray that this Sunday be a day of commissioning for people to receive their mission to be witnesses to the resurrection of Christ. Pray God’s Holy Spirit cover the earth filling everyone’s bucket to overflowing forever.

Blessings,

John Lawson