Blankypuppy and the Holy Ghost

My youngest daughter’s name is Ryleigh. She is two years old and quite good at it. Of my two daughters, she is the most easy-going, the most stubborn, the most emotional, the most precocious…in a nut shell, she is a lot like me! Although Ryleigh has few things in her life that are in need of ordering or being arranged, she cannot exist without her blanket and her stuffed Boxer pup. NOTE – we refer to the two items in a singular fashion, “blankypuppy,” for where one is, the other is not far behind.

“Blankypuppy” goes everywhere with Ryleigh. She takes them to the breakfast table, to the chair to watch her favorite movie, in the car for trips of all length (including down the street to the grocery store), to school in her backpack, everywhere around the house – and all points in between. Needless today, these items are well loved and show signs of Ryleigh’s devotion to them. But above all places they must be present throughout the course of a day is in her bed for naps and nighttime. Any sleeping ritual isn’t complete until it ends with Ryleigh lying down in her bed, her puppy being tucked under her arm, and her blanket being draped over her entire body like a painter’s tarp over a fine sofa.

Misfortune struck on evening when Ryleigh had a diaper that had met its water retention limit and leaked onto her bed. Startled by the state of things, she cried until we came up the stairs, only to discover that her pajamas, bedding, and “blankypuppy” needed to be washed. Ryleigh was devastated that her prize possession was gone; however, in her tired state, she settled back in and drifted off to sleep. Yet, not an hour later, she awoke my wife and I both with a repetitive cry of hysteria. “Blankypuppy! Blankypuppy!” You see, she had awoken, only to discover that the one thing that brought her security and comfort was missing. For Ryleigh, the physical presence of those two items was her assurance of safety. Only when they were retuned to her, could she lie back down and sleep in peace.

When Jesus talked to his disciples in his final hours, he talked about his leaving to be accompanied by an arrival. This arrival would be the marker and reminder of God on Jesus’ followers. Without the Holy Spirit, the disciples would be little more than helpless children crying for security. Yet, when the Spirit of God came in power fifty days later, these same men would speak and preach boldly about a new Kingdom. As the Book of Acts begins (and thus begins a new preaching series), we find the disciples in this in between time – in need of something or someone to become a reminder to them of their mission to the world.

In our worship this week, let’s focus on the sending of the Holy Spirit as both a comforting and empowering experience. As “blankypuppy” is to my daughter, so, too, the Holy Spirit should be to us – a promised presence in our lives that we can’t be happy without. Let us also be thankful for the spiritual baptism we enjoy in Christ Jesus, and the readiness of our hearts to receive his leading.

Resounding Themes:
Outpouring of God’s Spirit
Constant Presence
Readiness of the Called
Spiritual Baptism

Ready, Set, READ

Acts 1:1-11

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- What did Jesus mean when he spoke about the Kingdom of God? What did his disciples think he meant?

- Why was it important for them to hang around Jerusalem as Jesus had asked them to do? What did happen for those who stayed?

- What should a church truly sold out to God and empowered by His Spirit really look like? Is Highland Oaks that reflection? Why or Why not?

Ready, Set, PRAY

O, Righteous Father, your presence in our lives can be traced throughout the history of humankind. Not one moment of our existence can be matched with your absence. Even in the darkest hours of history, you can be found – close by your people, leading them with your steady hand. God, even in times when we have run away scared like the prophet Elijah, you have found us, comforted us, and restored us in Your Name. Yes, our days are indelibly marked with your companionship, and we are blessed to have you in and directing our lives. Father, we also thank you for the Holy Spirit. He is to us as a blanket of security in a dark room. Our loneliness in sin was matched by your gift – your immeasurable gift of the Spirit. So Father, may we embrace the Spirit’s company with both a willingness to receive and a readiness to act as He directs. And might we always be assured of Christ’s promise never to leave or forsake us, as so fulfilled in the Holy Ghost. May He truly guide, guard, and direct our lives. In Christ. AMEN.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!