Breath And Wind

Thus says the LORD: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street, a bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching. 

I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. (Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7)

Today is the Baptism of the Lord.  With baptisms we emphasize the Holy Spirit.  According to Marcus Borg in his 1997 book “The God We Never Knew: Beyond Dogmatic Religion To a More Authentic Contemporary Faith:” “…I suggest ‘Spirit’ as a root image for this model of God [God as Spirit], and the phase ‘Spirit model’ as a designator for the model itself. It leads to an image of the Christian life that stresses relationship, intimacy, and belonging…

The Hebrew word for Spirit also means wind and breath…Both are invisible yet manifestly real.  We cannot see the wind, though its presence and effects are felt; it moves without being seen. When it blows, it is all around us.  Breath is like wind inside the body.  For the ancient Hebrews (as for us), it was associated with life.  

Metaphorically, God as Spirit is both wind and breath, a nonmaterial reality outside us and within us.  Our breath is God breathing us, and God is as near to us as our own breath.  Speaking of God as Spirit, is both wind and breath, evokes both transcendence and nearness.”  

Let’s take the time to slow down, hear, and feel our breathing.  Moreover, winter winds should make us feel the nearness of God.  Cold, yes, but still near us.  The Holy Spirit is within and without having us focus on relationship, intimacy, and belonging.   That’s all a part of God.

Deacon David Pierce