"When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

The obvious hymn choice for this text is "Breath on me, breath of God," which I have avoided since we discovered that breathing on each other spreads a deadly virus. It didn't feel right to sing about even God breathing on us, while watching online church in isolation. It feels strange if you imagine how this scene would be acted on stage. And why would Jesus breathe on his disciples anyway?  

There is deep biblical symbolism about breath and spiritual life. Genesis 2:7 says,

"Then the LORD God formed the human of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the human became a living creature." 

Every breath you take is a gift of life from the living God. Psalms 150:6 advises, "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD." In John, the very recently Risen Christ, rendered breathless on the cross, is breathing out the breath of life to his disciples, reminding them of the divine source of their living animation. In both Greek and Hebrew, the word for breath can also mean spirit or soul. So, Christ comes to the disciples, breaths out, and says receive the Holy Breath, the Holy Spirit, the Divine Breath that is the source of life. 

I wonder if Christ gave one long-flowing breath across the room. (I long whhhh.). Or was it more like a series of short chops (huh, huh, huh.)? When I think of breathing, I think of yoga class. How you breathe is essential in lots of spiritual practices. I've been practicing "Yoga with Adrienne" on YouTube most mornings for the last three months. It seems the purpose of yoga is to put me into ever more complicated body positions and remind me not to forget to breathe. It's one thing to sit still and focus on long deep breaths. But soon, I'm upside down in the V-shape called downward dog. Just as I get used to breathing, Adrienne asks me to lift my left leg in the air to three-legged dog. Then bring my back leg through to my nose, and yes, I'm still supposed to breathe. Next, I must breathe in a tree pose while standing on one leg. Before I get too comfortable, I must lift my hands over my head, stay balanced on my leg and still remember to breathe! Yoga should be translated into English to "Breathing lessons in awkward positions." 

But there is wisdom in this. If I can breathe in a three-legged dog or tree pose with eagle arms, maybe I can breathe through the awkward times in life. It reminds me to breathe in a meeting when someone says something unhelpful or even toxic. Breathe when waiting for medical test results or listening to a news anchor lose their mind with the latest breaking news. Breathe through a necessary difficult conversation or when the words aren't coming for the sermon. Just breathe. When we feel like we can't handle what is before us, we say, "I can't breathe." Breathing connects us back to the moment and the source of life which moves in our being. God did not finish breathing life into us with one creature formed in the dust. Christ draws the disciples back to the source of life as he breathes on them and says, "Receive the Holy Spirit." 

In John's Gospel, this is the Pentecost moment where the promise of the Holy Spirit is fulfilled. This Spirit is something Jesus promises to his disciples at the Last Supper in John. On his last night, after washing the disciples' feet, he tells them four times that a helper will come to them after his death to comfort and instruct them. John 14:26 illustrates this:

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father/Creator will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you.

To describe the work of the Holy Spirit, John borrows the Greek word "paraclete" and gives it a theological meaning. Paraclete can mean an advocate, a helper, or a comforter. The prefix "para" means to come alongside. Think of words like paralegal, paramedic, paragraph, or parasite. In Greek, a paraclete could be a legal advocate, a person who comforts you in grief, or a teacher who mentors you. In each role, someone comes alongside to give you strength, courage, or the wisdom you need to overcome a challenge. These advocates don't do things for you but help you so you are not facing things alone. When Christ meets with the disciples after his resurrection and breaths out to them, he is fulfilling this promise of an intimate connection, an advocate and helper who will be present in life's challenges. 

Early Christians used the word Paraclete frequently to describe the work of the Holy Spirit. 

St. Cyril of Alexandria (376-444): Cyril, in his Commentary on the Gospel of John, emphasizes the Paraclete's transformative work in believers' lives. He said, "The Holy Spirit is the cause of our being conformed to God and our becoming sharers in the divine nature." I love the phrase "sharers in divine nature," which reminds me of Paul saying, "In God, we live and move and have our being."

John Calvin, the early Protestant Reformer in Geneva, wrote about the Paraclete as taking the role as our teacher. He believed that when we read scripture, the Holy Spirit illuminates the words so we may better understand and apply them. Calvin said we might read the words of the Bible, "which would otherwise only may only strike the ear as an empty sound. Instead, the Holy Spirit helps the word penetrate the mind, is sealed in the heart, and obtains full authority of the conscience." (Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 1, Section 4).

Martin Luther emphasized that the Paraclete doesn't just give us wisdom and perspective but also prods our conscience as we reflect. This thought was spiritually revolutionary when Luther wrote. Before Luther, wrestling with your conscience required you to go to a priest, confess, and receive penance. But what if you had an important decision and a priest could not be found? Or you didn't trust your priest's guidance? Luther believed the Holy Spirit was available to everyone simply by praying and listening inward. Imagine the cultural shift of encouraging everyone to find their relationship with the Holy Spirit.

This practice of inviting the Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds while reflecting on scripture is essential to understanding our Congregational roots. We do not have creeds that tell you what you must believe to join the church. We do not have cardinals or bishops who command our obedience.   We have a community of this congregation, in covenant with the broader church. This community works best when we regularly reflect on the meaning of our scriptures, inviting the Holy Spirit to illuminate us. That is a great freedom and responsibility. If we fail to take the time to study and reflect and pray together, we will become unmoored. 

Being a Congregationalist means we have named ourselves after a process. We are not called by our founders like Calvinists or Lutherans; we are process people. We depend upon the Holy Spirit to guide and challenge us. A member of our Bible Study group, Donald Duncan, shared with me something he wrote a few years ago about our church and the Holy Spirit.

In recent years, this church has embarked on many projects. Not the least of which was our vote on Open and Affirming and the Capital Campaign that raised over a million dollars to improve the church building. Both projects had opposition within the Church, but both were carried out successfully. Currently, we can take pride in those who stepped forward in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

I ascribe these successes to the Holy Spirit which, mysteriously and miraculously, provides us with the necessary courage, imagination, and motivation to change good ideas into firm reality. (Donald Duncan)



What I love about Don's words is that the Holy Spirit's work doesn't always look miraculous or spectacular. It happens in the work of the community, and at the time, it can be messy, even controversial. We must trust the process. In hindsight, we often look back and see that the Spirit was present. The work of the Spirit is like tending a garden. You may not feel the Spirit moving while weeding between the rows, but you certainly notice it when harvesting your peas or green beans.

Relying on the Holy Spirit may be the antidote to a world run by algorithms. ChatGPT and AI are marvels. I love asking ChatGPT questions; it is almost like having a research assistant. But it is only a tool. We shouldn't outsource the good life, a moral life, or our love life to a chatbot. For centuries we have had something better, a life-giving connection to our Creator through the still-speaking voice of the Holy Spirit. We have always had the aid of a comforter and advocate, one who comes alongside us and transforms our lives as we daily seek the Spirit. What do we do to receive these wonders? Ask, seek, knock, wait, and it will be given to you.