May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit
in your inner self. Ephesians 3:16 (Amplified Bible.)
May the 4th is Star Wars day. “May the 4th be with you†is a play on words from the
catchphrase used to encourage the good guys going into battle with the evil Empire:
“May the force be with you.†The “force†in the Star Wars universe is what gives the
Jedi knights their power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds
and penetrates them. It binds the whole Star Wars galaxy together. But in the Bible,
our power source, the Holy Spirit, comes from God. The coming of the promised
Holy Spirit at Pentecost is also celebrated this month when the 12 disciples waiting
in Jerusalem received it in power and did some amazing things. Peter empowered
by the Holy Spirit, stood up preached the good news of Jesus and the others spoke
in different languages and many people who heard and understood them gave their
lives to Christ that day (Acts 2). In a sense, Paul is saying May the Holy Spirit be
with you in his prayer to the Christian believers in Ephesus in Ephesians 3:16. Paul’s
prayer for the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen and spiritually energize the
Ephesians empowers us too as we endeavour to be Beacons for Jesus and to make
him known in our local community. While some believe that Pentecost and the
infilling of the Holy Spirit was a one-off past event, the Holy Spirit is still at work
today. By His Spirit, God lives in us, and He equips us with different gifts to serve
one another and others. His Spirit binds us all together and helps us to do amazing
things that we might think are impossible. Our recently successful Easter Family
Extravaganza is a case in point with team Whitehouse working together at its very
best. Paul’s prayer is my prayer for you this month as we celebrate King Charles III’s
coronation, Ascension then Pentecost, and as we continue to undertake God’s plan
here in His church and on this estate: May the Holy Spirit be with you now and
always. Amen.
Prayers, blessings and love,
Robert