Come, Holy Spirit, Come!
There are moments in life when our emotions refuse to fit neatly into one category. This season is one of those moments for me.
As July approaches and I prepare to begin ministry with a new church, I find myself feeling all sorts of ways. There is excitement about new possibilities and relationships yet to be formed. There is gratitude for the ways God continues to call and guide. There is sadness too; sadness that comes from loving people deeply and knowing that a season of ministry together is changing. There is uncertainty, anticipation, hope, grief, and joy all tangled together in ways that are difficult to separate. And honestly, that feels a little like the disciples must have felt in Acts 2.
They had experienced resurrection. They had watched Jesus ascend into heaven. They had heard promises about power from the Holy Spirit, but they did not fully know what came next. Then suddenly, in the middle of their waiting, the Holy Spirit came like wind and fire and filled ordinary people with extraordinary courage and purpose.
The story of Pentecost reminds us that the future of the Church has never depended on human certainty or human strength. It has always depended on the presence of God. That truth has become deeply comforting to me lately. I have full expectation that the Holy Spirit will be present in this next chapter, with the church I am leaving, Lake Cities UMC and with the church I am going to, FUMC Whitesboro. Not because I have somehow orchestrated the right conditions. Not because I have all the answers. Not because either church has everything figured out. The Holy Spirit will be present because God has promised to be present.
That is the heart of Pentecost. Sometimes when we pray, “Come, Holy Spirit, Come,” it can sound as though we are trying to convince God to show up. But the deeper truth is that God is already present and already at work. The prayer is less a command and more an act of openness. It is a declaration of expectation. It is a way of saying:
“Holy Spirit, help us recognize Your presence.”
“Holy Spirit, open our hearts.”
“Holy Spirit, make us ready for what You are already doing.”
The Spirit was moving before the disciples understood it. The Spirit was present before the flames appeared. The Spirit was already preparing hearts long before Peter preached his sermon. And the same is true now.
God is already at work in this congregation. God is already at work in the congregation I will soon join. The Holy Spirit is not confined to appointments, transitions, buildings, or pastors. The Spirit continues to breathe life into Christ’s Church in every season.
That does not erase the emotions of transition. It does not make goodbyes painless. But it does give us confidence that we never walk into the future alone. Pentecost reminds us that the Church was born in uncertainty, but also in promise.
So in this season, I find myself praying those ancient words often: Come, Holy Spirit, Come. Not as a demand. Not as a formula. But as an expectation that the God who has always been faithful will continue to be faithful still.
In God’s grip,
Pastor Chuck Church
