I sometimes half-jokingly say
that we should be careful about what we ask for in our prayers
and particularly when we pray for God to send the Holy Spirit
or to renew us, or something similar.
Because my experience is that
that is exactly the sort of prayer
---for the Holy Spirit---
that God is likely to answer!
So, don't pray for renewal unless you want to be renewed.
What might 'renewal' be like?
It seems to me that renewal is likely to be about truth
then when the Spirit of renewal comes
it is going to be the Spirit of Truth.
It will therefore be drawing us towards God
and showing us what God is like.
In the process of doing this
one might expect we also discover
what we might be like.
This classic movement
leads us to say...as traditionally Christians have said...
the Holy Spirit will convict us of sin.
This is not, I think, some vindictive nasty process
but a true one.
We will know and be known.
It is our life's work:
to understand the truth of what it means
to be made in God's image.
The truth draws us on
to move away from sin
and towards the light.
In this process, too,
we will also uncover
the truths of God's world.
The eternal truths can often be spoken with our lips
and may take a little while
to appropriate into our lives.
How easily we say "God loves you!"
and yet do we believe
that God wants the best for us
and for everyone
and how do we imagine
that might work itself out in our lives.
To me, for example,
it means that there is here
a command to ensure that others
are going to be able
to experience God's generosity
and share in the bounty of the creation
it will mean that I need to work to challenge
my own selfishness and greed
and to stand against the aggressive greed of individuals
and institutions
which is the cause of so much poverty.
Truth will mean
that I try to conduct myself
with honesty, openness and integrity.
That I value these things about myself
and I treasure the vulnerable gifts
that others may choose to share.
The Spirit will lead us into truth
implies that this will take time.
And we need patience and diligence and respect
for what God is doing in others
for what God is doing in me.
The way of the Spirit
LORD GRANT THAT I MAY BE OPEN
TO THE TRUTH
GIVE ME PATIENCE, WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING
THAT I MAY BEAR THIS PRIVILEGE
WITH JOY, AND EXCITEMENT.
GIVE ME COURAGE TO SERVE YOU.
FATHER OF LIGHT, SON OF MERCY, SPIRIT OF TRUTH. AMEN
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