Not long ago...well, actually it was slightly less than sixteen years ago, Glenda and I went to visit one of our daughters for Christmas. This was exciting for us, because our second grandchild would be celebrating her first Christmas. (She was a newborn the Christmas before.) We all gathered around in the living room of their small home and drank hot chocolate, played Christmas music, and enjoyed the antics of our little granddaughter Lindsey. The pile of gifts under the tree were almost exclusively for her and we all waited to see her reaction to the gifts. Lindsey was only 14 months old and could barely walk, let alone figure out what to do with the gifts laid out before her. Her father reached under the tree and pulled out the biggest box and put it in front of her. Without hesitation she used the beautifully wrapped box to pull herself up, spread her arms, and then flopped over on top of it like it was a bed. She put her arms around the box and hugged it. Which cracked all of us up. No amount of coaxing could convince her to tear the paper off of it to reveal what was inside. Finally, in frustration, her father took her hand and started to rip the paper off. She started crying and flopped back down on the box as if to protect it. Eventually, she did figure it out.
When we raise our children in a Pentecostal home, it is easy to assume that a child will know how to 'open' God's gift of 'the' Holy Spirit. As with the idea of salvation, there is a sense that we have to do something to earn it, or deserve it. The Baptism of Holy Spirit (I've never figured out why we don't say 'Baptism BY Holy Spirit') is a mystery to some people. It doesn't help that modern Pentecostalism was a lot like my son-in-law trying to teach Lindsey how to tear off the wrapping. It can be traumatic and leave a newborn Christian with a bad taste in their mouth. Either, they didn't 'let go' or they didn't 'hold on', or any of a hundred other instructions that were given them as they 'tarried' at the altar.
There is a lot to be said for being there when someone first speaks in tongues. It is thrilling to those of us who've been baptized for a long time. It is awesome to see the joy spread over their face, and see the tears flow. I've waited long hours over young men and women who'd been so overtaken by Holy Spirit that they'd been what we call 'slain in the Spirit.' It's kind of like my granddaughter laying down on top of her Christmas gift and hugging it. You know they had a profound experience, but you don't know what it was about. That is why I believe that as fathers, we have to prepare our children for the one gift that required the death of Jesus to be given. Salvation is just the beginning! Actually salvation is the gift box all wrapped up, and the baptism is the unwrapping. Later, once everything is unpacked, and we understand what the gift is, then we play with what we were given.
Perhaps the funnest moment for me as a proud spiritual father, was to watch my daughter's best friend Nicole simply say; I want that. Then without fanfare or much ado, she walked down the aisle the next Sunday morning, raised her hands, and began talking in tongues. The fellowship erupted in joy, and she has lived her life serving Christ ever since.
It was simple, and we make it hard. As we look at the verses from last weeks lesson, it becomes clear that the asking is the most important part. You can ask, and He will give. Sometimes it can take a little while because of faith issues, or sadly even shame issues. Eventually Holy Spirit wins out, and we witness the growth of someone who discovers the gift inside them.
Let's talk about it this Sunday.
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