The spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach the good news to the oppressed and poor. The spirit of the Lord fills me everyday with wonder and I proclaim the year of jubilee. The power of the faith in Jesus is that we believe in him, we have been given the spirit of the Lord and it is upon all followers of Jesus. It is both an audacious claim and one that should fill us with fear and awe. The breath of life and love which created the heavens and the earth is upon us as we play with our son, make love to our wives and go about our daily lives. To follow Jesus is to have he Spirit of the Lord upon us. What does that mean?
In many ways to say the spirt of the Lord is upon me is to sound arrogant and as if one is starting a cult. It seems to claim a special relationship to God and imply a certain infallibility in action, deed and belief. Many in cults have fallen to this belief of having one conduit to God, which has more to do with our enlightened worldview than the biblical narrative. The Bible was clear that the spirit of the Lord was upon King David, Moses and Solomon and it very honest about them and their failings as human beings. The spirit of Lord did not prevent them from doing some nasty things. Nor will it protect us from our own perchance to being nasty to others. Having the spirit of the Lord upon one is to have the spirit that affirms life and is love being with us. It is a glimpse into the divine nature and it slowly reshapes us. I know this from experience as love has reshaped me and I am better man because I go into prayer and have Jesus reshape me.
When I first encountered Jesus in Albuquerque so long ago, I was living behind two cultist from the Heaven’s Gate cult. I found that in my life I started to learn about what love means and realized I had no idea what it means. The spirit of the Lord came to me one night in the lonely desert behind two people mediating to free their inner aliens. Since then, God has been with me, even as I have done some pretty stupid things. Love has become more and more the theme of my life. Long ago I was among the oppressed, but Jesus filled my room with light and I am still following the light.
When I become aware of the spirit of the Lord which is always with me, the whole of life becomes almost unbearably beautiful. Strangers on my commute have the reflection of glory who is God radiate in their faces. The hate within my heart, for what human heart remains stainless of the hate, melts in the presence of the Lord who is with me. Love fills the heaven and the space of creation almost breaks. I remember the two lost souls who were looking for love behind Hale Bopp Comet and I say a prayer for them, because I love them. Then, I return to myself and my human ways of frustration and condemnation, the vision ends. Yet, I, the spirit remains. God remains.
