Daily Bread April 14

Holy Spirit
Ron Harmon, president of Council of Twelve Apostles


(Adapted from Exploring Community of Christ Basic Beliefs: A Commentary edited by Anthony J. Chvala-Smith, pp. 52-54. A Kindle version is available at www.HeraldHouse.org.)

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! -Psalm 133:1

I vividly remember my first encounter with the Spirit. I was 12 years old and it came during a time of deep searching. I attended a small, loving congregation on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio. It was not uncommon to hear a closing prayer giving thanks for the presence of the Holy Spirit. I listened intently and tried to be open to this Holy Spirit, but it eluded me.

I did not realize the Spirit had already interceded in my life and was affirming my deepest yearnings to connect with that which is beyond words and human understanding. This Spirit seed had been planted and was beginning to grow as it became the focus of my prayer life each night. I wanted to sense or experience this Spirit and so that became my prayer.

One evening during a youth camp in western Pennsylvania I went out into an open field. I lay down in the grass and looked up into the immensity and depth of space. By now this prayer no longer needed utterance but was expressed with each breath I took. Something not fully explainable but deeply moving occurred that evening as I explored a dimension of creation not often visible to me. I found myself fully immersed in an awareness that I was not alone. I became aware of my connection to an ultimate reality that was beyond my comprehension and yet felt a deeply personal affirmation of divine love and complete wellbeing. Of course, these are the words I use now to describe the experience, but its profound impact is felt even as I write these words years later.

Since this time, I have experienced the Holy Spirit in many ways and at times have struggled for any awareness of its presence. During a time of feeling very distant from the Spirit I wrote a prayer that became a plea for spiritual awakening to God’s movement all around me: God, where will your Spirit lead today? Help me be fully awake and ready to respond. Grant me courage to risk something new and become a blessing of your love and peace. Amen.

This prayer captures much of my evolving understanding of the Holy Spirit’s function and purpose. I have increasingly experienced the Spirit as disruptive presence helping me to see and understand what was once hidden from view. I have returned to ancient practices that create open and fertile space within for the Spirit to do its transformative work.

This intentional work has created capacity for suffering with those who suffer and courage to speak and act words that lead to God’s alternative future. When I cultivate space and receptivity for the Holy Spirit, I find myself more willing to risk new conversations, relationships, and ways to embody Christ’s love and peace.

Prayer Phrase

“Practice Resurrection” (Wendell Berry).

Spiritual Practice

Breath Prayer

During this Easter season, we invite you daily into a breath prayer focused on resurrection. With each exhale, respond in a word or phrase to the question, “What is dying?” (fear, anger, assumptions, etc.) With each inhale, notice a response in a word or phrase to the question “What is rising?” (love, courage, trust, etc.) You may choose to use the same word or phrase throughout this season, or let each day bring its own unique response to this sacred pattern of dying and rising that is central to our faith.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

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