Holy Spirit of God, fill me, like Jesus, with the power of your Holy Spirit…

 
Luke 4:14-22 & Titus 2:11- 3:7

 
As we head into this new year of Grace, it is good to consider by what power we proceed. There are all kinds of spirits afoot in the world - spirits of culture and customs, of greed and money, and of privilege and control, to name but a few. But it is the Holy Spirit of God that transcends all early powers - and for which we, as human beings made in the image of God as we are, are designed. As his ministry of Jesus unfolded, Luke notes that ‘he was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit’. Jesus was not notable as a public speaker, an advocate for Jewish culture in the midst of Roman colonialism, or as an activist. To the contrary, he healed lepers, taught his disciples, worked beside fishermen on their boats, preached to the poor and asked the rich to reconsider their motives in life – always inspired by the Holy and Creative Grace of his Father, of God.  What spirit will fill me this year? Will I allow the Holy Spirit of God to fill me as it did Jesus, and inspire and direct my thoughts, words and actions? Holy Spirit of God, fill me, like Jesus, with the power of your Holy Spirit.    
 
I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
 
The power of God is capable of finding hope where hope no longer exists, and a way where the way is impossible.
St. Gregory of Nyssa
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
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