Go Between God

We are used to referring to the Holy Spirit as the third person. By this we usually mean the third person of the Trinity. But John V Taylor, many years ago, drew attention to the Holy Spirit as the Go-Between God - who is the third person in a very different way. He writes; "the Holy Spirit is the invisible third party who stands between me and the other, making us mutually aware".
He quotes Martin Buber who wrote: "We are waiting for a theophany about which we know nothing except its place, and that place is called community."

Give the kisses

What can I give him, poor as I am?
This is the question at the heart of giving. And as we are crunched by the recession this becomes an ever more pressing question, particularly for a middle class which has come to treasure money so highly. It really dismays me when we hear in our churches about giving - and it is always centred on money (or so it seems). What can I give him, poor as I am?

Christina Rossetti discusses this in her poem "In the bleak midwinter". For her money doesn't enter into it - and in this recession all of us are questioning the worth of what money will buy (particulalry those of us on their third skip in the process of moving house). Take money out of the equation and what can we give? Those unable to buy off their giving with money perhaps know the answer best. They operate in an economy of gifts aware they can give "their heart", that they can pay attention, that they can give themselves, that they can for-give, that they can give thanks.

And my own thanksgiving - a woman working on the platform at Crewe Station who was amazingly kind, patient, hospitable and gentle with my mother in helping her find the right train - someone bearing the fruits of the Spirit. British Rail won't have been paying her for that but some gifts money cannot buy.

Miroslav Volf (in Free of Charge p116)describes the work of the Holy Spirit in terms of gifts. "The Spirit is the gift that gives spiritual gifts". He writes; "the Spirit opens the doors of our hearts for Christ's indwelling .... by the power of the Spirit we make ourselves available for Christ to be born in us ... The Spirit is the gift that gives Christ".
"Think of the Spirit as the arms of our hearts that embrace Christ and as the open doors of our energies and skills that welcome Christ in."

Photo by Logan Antill.

Thomas

Two of our children bear Thomas in their name. Their grandfather was called Thomas. Thomas is highlighted in our Gospel today. What was he doing on this first day of the week when the other disciples were locked in in fear of the people's anger? Did he not share the anxiety of the other disciples? Did he have more confidence?

Kate Huey, in the linked article, quotes Michael Williams's comment about Thomas which contrasts with how Thomas is so often portrayed. He writes: "the only one amonmg the disciples who was not do filled with fear that he was unwilling to leave the disciples' hiding place." (see this Sunday's gospel) Kate quotes Gail O'Day's observation that "one week after the disciples have been visited by the risen jesus and received Jesuis' peace and the Holy Spirit, they have once again locked themselves away behind closed doors." Even after seeing the risen Jesus they still don't live as an Easter people.

So was Thomas the one didn't want to be locked away? Was he the one who wasn't frightened? Was he the free spirit? Have we lost the truth by caricaturing him falsely as "the doubter"? And if he is the odd one out of the twelve? What does he have to say about the rest of them, and the rest of us who are similarly inclined to lock ourselves away (metaphorically) because we fear the people. What was Thomas doing?

Jan Richardson in the Painted Prayerbook has a different take on the locked room - the "secret room" as she calls this painting, and she suggests that every pilgrim needs a secret room.

She quotes Phil Cousineau's The Art of Pilgrimage who writes this:

"Everywhere you go, there is a secret room. To discover it, you must knock on walls, as the detective does in mystery houses, and listen for the echo that protends the secret passage. You must pull books off shelves to see if the library shelf swings open to reveal the hidden room. I'll say it again, everywhere has a secret room. You must find your own, in a small chapel, a tiny cafe, a quiet park, the home of a new firend, the pew wehere the light strikes the rose window just so. As a pilgrim you must find it or you will never understand the hidden reasons why you really left home."

Here is sanctuary and indicates the need we all have for "retreat" for all the times when we have a choice of fight or flight and when fighting seems so hopeless. And does Jesus condemn us for locking oursleves away and trying to save our own skin? It appears not. Because to those first Christians locked in fear Jesus came with nothing other than peace. There were no recriminations for them running away or for their betrayal of his trust. All he does when he gets through their defences - past the locked doors is to "offer them greeting and gift" (Kate Huey) - "Peace be with you".

Catchy Psalm

Who is like the Lord our God,
that has his throne so high, •
yet humbles himself to behold
the things of heaven and earth?

Psalm 113:5