Surrounded by Love
The Breath of God
Touched by the Spirit
by Wendy Morical
When I was a little girl, my Congregational church sang the Doxology. Fifty years later, I easily recall the traditional lyrics to that familiar melody, as they were sung by me weekly throughout the 1960s and 70s:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise God all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
What a mystery it was, as a little person, to ponder what a “Holy Ghost” might be! I mulled this over in my pew from time to time. I don’t remember any clarification or definition I might have been given, although I am sure we must have discussed the Trinity in Sunday School. My guess is that the exciting mystery of what kind of ghost we were singing about was likely more intriguing to me than the helpful description adults provided.
I see now, clearly, that those generous Sunday School teachers of the past, my parents, Reverend McDuffy, or any other knowledgeable adult who tried to clear this up for me might have each said something different — and still have been accurate! I pondered on my own, in a more mature manner, at church camp, when we tapped into something around the campfire. I could feel it, but I still couldn’t define it.
As a parent, I continued to search for how to define the great mystery of a Holy Spirit to my own children, assuring them we were surrounded by love even if we couldn’t see its source. I was probably not any clearer than my own teachers -- but how does one define the unknowable? There’s an inherent contradiction!
At Pilgrim, we began a unison prayer on Pentecost with these words: Glorious God, you blow into our lives without warning. That’s the way of it, isn’t it? Few of us are living lives of contemplative prayer and peaceful receptivity — we go about our busy lives, checking ‘to do’ lists and meeting our responsibilities. Every now and then, however, we are lifted, surprised, made breathless and humbled by unexpected moments of joy. During the service, Rev. Weaver invited people to share their experiences of being touched by the Holy Spirit. These are our words:
Musicians sharing their music is the Holy Spirit speaking in tongues
The voices of the poets, Yeats, Eliot – the radiance of what we can do with language can raise us up in amazing ways
Working with seniors, sharing their joy and connecting through music
When we take our hikes and are just out there – it speaks to us
Religion is story, the stories that are held by our elders and need to be shared before they’re lost
It’s children! They’re so sweet... when they sing… seeing them relate to one another
When I meditate, I feel the Holy Spirit coming to me; I have thoughts and ideas that I would never have had on my own
I speak to those I love and those I miss who are no longer with us
In nature I experience fullness, presence
To hear these descriptions spoken aloud was moving. This rich buffet of human experience provided resonance for all. Yes, yes, yes! Nothing ghost-like or ephemeral about it. The Holy Spirit is here.
Praise God, the love we all may share.
Praise God, the beauty everywhere.
Praise God, the hope of good to be.
Praise God, the truth that makes us free.
Let’s all continue to open our hearts to the ways the Spirit mysteriously yet regularly blows into our lives and thank God for the many ways our lives are touched.
— Wendy Morical serves as Moderator for Pilgrim Church