April 11 | Acts 2:1-4, 14-41

---

DAILY READING

Acts 2:1-4, 14-41

---

Spirit Enabled

By Carmel Elmer

Imagine yourself in the crowd at Pentecost. When I try to visualize the "tongues of fire" resting on the heads of the apostles I imagine I would have been terrified. I might have even been in the camp of those believing they were drunk on wine when they began speaking in tongues! It reminds me of a time when I was a little girl and I woke to find my older brother, John with his hand on my head, chanting what sounded like gibberish. It inspired me to pray alright, but my prayer was "Please, God, make him go away!" I'm not sure John truly had the gift of speaking in tongues, but as an adult I did recognize that he definitely had an gift that lead him to pray for his loved ones in a way that I now believe was truly inspired by The Holy Spirit.

Each time I read today's passage, the same thought occurred to me - that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when the Holy Spirit is actively present and enabling them. Take Peter for instance. He was an ordinary fisherman when he first encountered Jesus and someone who was far from perfect. Afterall, wasn't it Peter who in Matthew 22 trusted Jesus enough to take the ultimate leap of faith and step out of a boat, to literally walk on water? But what happens moments later reminds us that when we allow fear to get the better of us, our faith can falter, and we can sink fast!

This same Peter who once claimed he was ready to die with Jesus rather than leave Him, became overwhelmed with fear and at the darkest moment Jesus could experience, denied even knowing his teacher and friend not once, but three times just when Jesus could have really used a friend. And yet, this is the man that Christ entrusted to care for and to lead His people, and on the day of Pentecost, boy did Peter live up to that calling. Enabled by The Holy Spirit his words captivated the hearts of 3000 people on that day and they were baptized and converted.

I connect with Peter and it's not because he did extraordinary things, but because he was so beautifully, NOT perfect and yet, he was chosen to lead. He makes me want to find the 'secret sauce' that would allow me, an ordinary person to do extraordinary things for Christ too; and he makes me want to figure out how to open fully to the incredible power of The Holy Spirit. His weakness and his failures remind us that even in our greatest failures, those moments when we deny our teacher and friend, Jesus with the choices we make, we have not missed our chance to do great things. Though I haven't found that 'secret sauce' yet, I believe it begins when we open our hearts and invite the Holy Spirit into the ordinary parts of our lives, those moments when we see someone in need of words of encouragement or a helping hand. We may not ever have an audience of 3000 but we can captivate hearts one at a time and change lives for the better. I hope one day that "tongue of fire" rests on me and instead of being terrified, I become inspired. Like Peter, maybe we are all called to lead and we just need to believe that we can!

PRAYER

Come, Holy Spirit

"Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth."

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CARMEL ELMER

I have attended UALC for nearly 25 years, but faith has always been at the center of my life. My mom was an incredible role model, demonstrating a trust in God that surpassed any circumstance. I will always be grateful for her incredible example of faith, and I pray that one day, my children will say the same about me.