Breath, Empowerment, Enabling ... Go Forth! | eBOOK
Robert John's address from the
Pentecost Cosmic Mass and Initiation Service
Sunday, 5 June, 2022
Today we celebrate Pentecost, the feast of Spirit, and the culmination of the spiritual festival of Easter. Christ’s Spirit, breathed into the earth and the cosmos in the Easter mysteries, is now breathed into our being. As God breathed life into the dust of the earth forming humanity at the creation, now new life is breathed into our bodies of dust to affirm and strengthen, to empower and enable our ability to live with Spirit.
Today we also celebrate Initiation, admission to the Guild of Initiates for Initiates-Elect Graham Auld and Peter Brockhoff. The life of the Spirit breathed into them, to empower and enable them in their commitment to more intentionally and deliberately move with Spirit as they journey the path to knowing and serving Christ.
At Pentecost, the scripture reading we are most familiar with is the one provided by Luke in his second book: The Acts of the Apostles. Fifty days after Easter the disciples and those closest to Jesus are gathered, prepared, in the upper room. A mighty wind moves, tongues of fire burn above their heads and they are filled with the Spirit. In response, they are enabled to communicate in new ways, and they go forth into the world to bring knowledge of Christ, to imbue (that is, baptise) with Christ’s presence, to bring healing.
Pneuma, the Greek word translated as ‘spirit’ can also, equally be translated as ‘wind’, and as ‘breath’. And the ‘power’ (Greek: Dunamis), promised to be given in Luke’s account can equally be translated as ‘ableness’, as ‘ability’.
The Spirit – the breath of Christ’s life within us – makes us more able, it adds to our ability, and it urges us to engage our abilities in responding to all we encounter in our being, living and relating – and to do this in ways that build up, that strengthen, and that increase this power, this ableness and this ability in others. .........
