Christian Theology in a Thumbnail: Holy Spirit (5)

          Biblically, the Holy Spirit is the life-giving, gift-bestowing presence of God who carries out this role by informing, forming, and conforming God’s people and his creation into the image of Jesus Christ.

          Flourishing is the fingerprint of the Spirit – creational flourishing, human flourishing, social flourishing.  The presence and gifts of the Spirit enable and celebrate flourishing.

          Human flourishing means creatures reaching their intended calling and vocation.  Created in God’s image, humans are to be God’s royal representatives through creation and reflectors of God’s will and way to and for creation.  God the Spirit works our calling out in us and our vocation out through us.  Yet this work of God the Spirit engages us in all the depth, height, length, and breadth of our being.

          This work involves informing us of all we need to know, especially about Jesus Christ, to be and do what God intends we be and do.

          This work involves forming us into the people we need to be to be and do what God intends. 

          This work involves conforming us into the image of Jesus Christ, who is “the” Image of 

God.

          The Holy Spirit works in the world as well as in, through, among, and around the church.  Among the works of the Spirit are:

-turning “me” into “we”

-opening “he” to “she”

-speaking to the church through prophecy

-binding “adam” to “adamah” (see Genesis 2)

-exorcising “demons” both within and without the church

-“speaking in tongues” through the voices of all, especially through the silent cries and suffering of invisible, ignored, disabled, and expendable