March 4, 2010

THE OVERLOOKED CHRISTMAS CHARACTER

Key Verse
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." (Luke 1:35, NLT)
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Central Truth

The Holy Spirit works to complete God's plan on earth. He continues to be a main character in God's work.

Reflections

I have heard the Christmas story perhaps a hundred times. In every rendition there is a mention of Mary and Joseph, Gabriel the angel, a donkey or two, and sometimes even Elizabeth and Zechariah. Yet as I read Luke 1 today I noticed that one person is largely ignored in our Christmas accounts. That person is the Holy Spirit.

Notice how active the Holy Spirit is in Luke 1. Through Him Mary conceives (vs. 35); Elizabeth says praises about God and foretells Jesus' birth (vss. 41-45); and the teenage Mary praises God in one of the most eloquent passages in the Bible (vss. 46-55). Furthermore through the Holy Spirit Zechariah praises God and predicts future occurrences for his son, John. None of this could have happened without the Holy Spirit's work. How easily we have overlooked the Holy Spirit's activities!

So I was thinking, “How easily do I overlook the Holy Spirit's activities?” Many times my attention is set to the “cast in flesh” rather than the character in spirit. It is too easy to see the actions of people and miss the activities of the Holy Spirit. He is the unseen wind blowing through our lives. He is gently nudging us closer to God and empowering us for service to God. He is called the "Holy" Spirit and we are called in New Testament Greek "holy ones"--saints. When we partake of God's Spirit we are transformed by the Holiness of His Spirit. What a great work the Holy Spirit has done in our lives--our sanctification. Consider even further His power in our lives.

God help us all to open our eyes and see what the Spirit is doing!

Discussion Questions

1. Think back in your life to a moment you overlooked an action of the Holy Spirit, but now realize He was at work. What were the details of that event?

2. What has the Holy Spirit been doing in your life recently to bring you closer to God?

3. Do you want to learn more about the Holy Spirit? Make a point of looking for His actions when you read through the Bible.

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The views expressed under “Comments” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Trinity Assembly.

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Terry Ewell

Terry Ewell

I'm Terry Ewell, husband to Laurel (married over 30 years!), father of Theresa Nelson (she writes scripts for the Christmas production) and John Ewell (attending Southeastern University). My family and I joined Trinity in 2000 when we left Morgantown, WV. I teach music at Towson University.

I first was conscious of the Holy Spirit in my life just a few days after I became a Christian when I was 15 years old. Baptism in the Spirit was a pivotal experience for me. I have continued to learn about the Holy Spirit and experience His fellowship.