Two weekends ago, I brought a glass of water and an Alka-Seltzer tablet to worship to illustrate the nature of how God dwells within us and how we dwell within God. As Jesus promised his disciples on the eve of his death, Jesus has created places us for us to dwell with Christ – not only after our death, but here and now as we dwell in God and as God dwells in us.
But how, really, does that work? How could God – the almighty and all-powerful God – reside within mortal bodies like our own? And how could we dwell in God?
It’s a solid question. And just as much as I wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly how or why an Alka-Seltzer tablet dissolves completely in water, I wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly how we dwell in Christ and Christ dwells in us. But this past weekend in our Gospel lesson, we got a hint as Jesus promised his disciples an Advocate – the Spirit of Truth. For it is only by the power of the Spirit that we are united to God and we are united to one another in the body of Christ.
But that only raises even more questions! What is the Spirit and what does the Spirit do? How does the Spirit work within us and how does the Spirit actually connect us to God?
Again, solid questions. Dare I say, even faithful questions. Questions that I’ve wondered for years, and questions that so many scholars and leaders of the church have spilled serious amounts of ink over.
So then, with all these questions, what are we to think as people of faith? Well, I wonder if the invitation to us as followers of Jesus is not necessarily to “understand” all the in’s and out’s of the Spirit and the Triune God. Rather, I wonder if the invitation to us is to allow the Spirit to move within us so that we might be united to Christ and to one another.
For sure, to live in such a way won’t erase all the questions. And, if you’re wondering about questions like these, I invite you to consider joining us this summer as a part of our Book Club or next fall as a part of an adult formation group. In these spaces, together, we have the opportunity to hear various perspectives, and bring our own experiences of God to the table as we discover the truth of God for ourselves.
But in the meantime, this week, keep pondering and wondering…faithfully. And, as you are willing, invite the Spirit to move through you – uniting you to God and to those around you and leading you, and all God’s creation, to fullness of life.