During Lent we are in danger of neglecting the activities of Holy Spirit, so naturally intent are we on the arduous road to Calvary, where we focus primarily on the Son of God and His sacrifice for us on the cross.

The Trinity (described by Richard Rohr as a divine dance), is a theological conundrum we can scarcely comprehend. Holy Spirit is a pivotal player in this holy mystery, embodying as He does the spirit of the risen Christ, who graciously makes His home in our hearts.

Scripture may not make all things easily accessible to our understanding but nevertheless, within the text, it does suggest enough to implicitly state that God as Father, Son and Spirit are three-in-one.

They are a Trinity of union and communion, a relationship of holy love we see in action from the beginning of creation’s story, where the Spirit hovers over the waters and Jesus, the Word-made-flesh speaks creation into being, while the Father is the initiator and overseer of everything.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.”

~ Genesis 1:1-4 (NIV)

The Bible shows us that the road to Golgotha involves all three members of the Trinity. For instance, Jesus encounters Holy Spirit as a dove anointing Him at His baptism by John and Jesus remains in constant communication with the Father prior to the cross.

As I pondered the role of the Trinity I wrote the poem below, which describes some of the activity of Holy Spirit with us here and now. I hope and pray it will be a blessing and encouragement to you.

Holy Spirit is…

Holy Spirit is infinite mystery, unknowable yet known to those
who embrace the gift of Christ, make way for God to speak
in tones they can recognise, deeply personal and true, full
of wisdom and insight, a relational joy, unexpected delight

Holy Spirit is a gentle, dove-like presence within, a warm, deep
and fathomless sea, where the riches of Christ are like jewels
gleaming bright–ocean treasure that is brought to the surface
of our finite minds, for us to sift and see what we can find

Holy Spirit is our comforter in all distress, our very antidote and our
healing for every strain and stress, each wormy worry that burrows
within and the aching anxiety that lays like stone we cannot shift
for anything–try as we might–and all that keeps us awake at night

Holy Spirit is self-effacing to the extreme, seeking only to magnify
Jesus and glorify his name, not choosing to blow his own trumpet
by act or deed but to demonstrate in power how the smallest seed
of faith within will flourish and produce great miracles to honour him

Holy Spirit is the calmer of our hearts, the one who sits inside this
mortal flesh, inhabiting our spirits, enlivening the environment of our
souls with God’s hopes and promises fulfilled, with an outpouring of
holy fruit that impacts our life and walk, our open testimony and talk

Holy Spirit is the sculptor of our situation and circumstance, our life
as it’s lived out, rendering the walls and making all things new, even
as we might resist the chipping chisel, preferring to exist in the same
state we’ve grown accustomed to–we let him carve his way through
©joylenton

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” – John 14:26 (NIV)