He Is Not Here!

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”  Luke 24:1-12  One of my most favorite conversations was with my mother and her two sisters concerning where the Holy Spirit could be found according to the length of the church service. Although we were all raised up in the same church we all now found ourselves worshipping in very different places. My mother’s church was an hour and a half and she was quite certain that the Holy Spirit was present. However, her two sisters were adamant that there was no way the Holy Spirit could be experienced in an hour and a half. Since the Episcopal service I attended at the time was only an hour and fifteen minutes I decided that it was best to just keep my mouth closed! Had I been more mature in my own faith at the time I think I could ask of them this question;  “Why look for a gift in a place that can readily be found within us?” Far too often we mistake finding the Holy Spirit with finding hospitality. If you bring the Holy Sprit with you in to any place the only thing you’re really looking for is to be received. Our ultimate goal to be at one with Christ begins within us and we take it wherever we go. This new relationship in Christ means that our bodies become the temple of the Lord’s Spirit (1Corinthians 6:19). When we share and celebrate this gift in our spiritual journey which reconciles us all with the one Spirit of the living God we experience the resurrection over and over again. Alleluia! Christ is Risen Indeed!