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By Emmanuel Williams

I am not overtly religious. But I take Spiritual Practice very seriously. And in this period of transition, I took myself to Church today, and learned something I may never forget.

For years, only one thing has kept me returning to Christianity. One concept, one feeling, one element of the Holy Trinity. I may not be meant to ever understand the Father, and I now believe there is no evidence of the Son without the Bible itself because historically the man known as Jesus of Nazereth was the leader of a Jewish sect whose words were never actually recorded. Unless you consider the gospels, and you are hoping that these gospels will suffice as historical evidence of a Messiah you are unwilling to let go of.

But what about this Holy Spirit?

To me, the Spirit of God is what you feel when you’re at a Baptist Revival service and you’re the one dancing in the aisle without regard for how it makes you look. It is the moment the preacher at said revival is no longer speaking a recognizable language for 5 seconds and then continues to finish his persuasive argument about how good, indeed, how great The Lord is. 

The Spirit is what you get when you remember the words of a song you heard in church that never ceased to touch you when the choir sang it, or you heard it later on the radio, or on an album on your way to an outreach mission, or simply sang it at Christian Camp alongside 30-50 other children… but you were on the verge of tears each time. Some of the time you couldn’t help yourself and you just wept uncontrollably.

For how great was the Lord.

I always felt this way. Overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit. And it had to belong to God or come from heaven, because it came when someone worshiped Him. Myself or someone I could see, hear, or feel worshipping Him.

Today in the lesson, they began a series of messages from the Book of Acts. They had just left the Book of Luke last Sunday, and the first passage was Luke 1:1-11.

I read along, was ready to take notes as I do when I am being taught.

But I wasn’t ready for it, because it passed me by on first reading. The Pastor, she referenced the text again 15 minutes later, and I looked back and saw it. With my brand new prescription lenses I saw the passage as it sat next to me wide open and zoomed in on Luke 1:1-11 to confirm that what she had paraphrased was actually in the text (I always do that, I’ve been known to walk out on services when I find too many a flaw in the preaching) and there it was.

“…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…” – Acts 1:8

It was Luke, the same author of the Gospel of Luke, continuing his letters, and in this verse he was ‘recalling’ the words of Jesus.

It didn’t matter how valid the text was. What mattered was that I felt a score settle within me. Because this means mountains, not for my reconversion to Christianity, but for my current Spiritual Practice. Which these days involves praying the rosary without a strict schedule, and trying to mainly contain the Holy Spirit when I’m under the influence of other spirits (usually Whiskey) or in times like this transitional space where my soul begins to cry.

I can’t help it. But I can wield it now.

If the Spirit was the only real thing about the Holy Trinity, then it doesn’t have to weaken me when it comes upon me. It doesn’t have to well up in my neck and burst out my eyes. It doesn’t have to be received like a weakness.

Not anymore.

Scripture says, I will receive power in the Holy Spirit. That this Spirit IS power.

Who’s to say that Luke, that Christ’s words, are simply pointing to the Universal Spirit we can ALL have power through.

Because even if we are wrong about the Universe and it actually IS God, at least we knew His presence.

I for one have a new strength. I have been equipped this Sunday, and it wasn’t even intended by the wonderful preacher lady I heard today. If there is a God, it was He who spoke Luke 1:8 straight to my soul.

Be encouraged.