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Being the living Christ today means being filled with the same Spirit that filled Jesus. Jesus and his Father are breathing the same breath, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the intimate communion that makes Jesus and his Father one. Jesus says, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:10) and “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30). It is this unity that Jesus wants to give us. That is the gift of his Holy Spirit.
Living a spiritual life, therefore, means living in the same communion with the Father as Jesus did, and thus making God present in the world.
*Henri J. M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey
This is a radical and progressive message from the Spirit: you can be the living Christ today. You can say, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” You can say, “The Father and I are one.” You can say this for you have received the Holy Spirit. You can say this when you enter into the experience of Christ Jesus and the union he enjoyed with the Father, an experience of felt and factual oneness with the Father. “In Christ,” that favorite of sayings of St. Paul, this union is not only possible, it is factual. Whether you experience it or not is another matter.
Therefore, how is God becoming present to the world? Through you, and to the extent that you realize the experience of Jesus Christ in your relationship with the Father, by means of the shared breathing, the Holy Spirit.
Affirmation
I breathe the breathing of the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual Exercise
Relax. Release all thoughts of separation between you and the Father. Repeat, inwardly, several times, “Father, in Christ I am in you and you are in me. Thank you.” Then, repeat, inwardly, several times, “Father, in Christ you and I are one. Thank you.” Relax. Enjoy the Presence.
OneLife Ministries is a pastoral outreach and nurture ministry of the First United Methodist Church, Fort Meade, FL. For Spiritual Direction, Pastoral Counseling, spiritual formation workshops, Christian meditation retreats, or more information about OneLife, write Rev. Dr. Brian K. Wilcox at briankwilcox@comcast.net.
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