By: The Rev. Joanne Mumley
The Word of God tells us that the “Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) And Jesus tells us, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” (Luke 4: 18) Paul reminds us that we are not alone. We can rely on the Paraclete (Greek) as one who comes along side of us, as the Counselor who was sent to us after Jesus ascended into heaven. As Jesus healed, comforted the sick and taught the disciples, the Holy Spirit will do the same. (Jn. 14:26)
Paul encourages us that “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” (Romans 8:26) There are situations in our lives that leave us in such despair, grief, and agony that we cannot do anything except breathe. Simply getting up in the morning takes effort, not to mention making it through another full day. There are times when even participating in the Liturgy is too much. But simply being present and allowing the Liturgy to flow over us and to carry us along through the Worship, the Word of God, the Prayers of the People, and the Eucharist in enough.
Our Anglican Tradition is such that it affords us the opportunity to be ministered to simply by attending the service. It is the Spirit of God who gives us hope to share in God’s glory. It is the Spirit of God that Paul tells us will carry us through this pain. “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”(Romans 8:26). In God’s great mercy for us, He sent the Holy Spirit to care for us as Counselor, Advocate, and Comforter. Through sadness, depression, despair, and grief we are not alone and can call on the Lord to help us. The Holy Spirit ministers to us as Comforter and intercedes on our behalf when the emptiness of grief leaves us numb and the pain in our hearts leaves us in great suffering. By mercy, “… He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8:28) On two counts this passage in Romans brings to our attention that we are not alone in our situations to muddle through. We have the Trinity to minister to our souls, and we have the Communion of Saints to carry us along through worship.