Before the Ascension, Jesus promised that when he was no longer with his disciples on Earth, he would send the Holy Spirit to them in his place. Our belief is that the Spirit continues 2000 years later to act in the lives of believers. The Pentecost reading from the Acts of the Apostles speaks of the disciples being filled with a new power as the Spirit descended upon them (Acts 1: 1-21). But we are taught to expect that we will be transformed by God’s Spirit in other ways too. For “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5: 22-23) For those of us who do not feel filled with the specific type of power which entered believers at the first Pentecost following the Ascension, perhaps these fruits of the Spirit are a more likely indicator of our growth as believers – certainly we are to strive for them.
God of power, as you sent your Holy Spirit to the first believers,
So, we pray, fill us too with those same fruits.
May we love our neighbour more than we do ourselves
May our joy as partakers of your kingdom spill out and infuse others
May your peace which passes our understanding settle upon us forever
May we deal patiently with each other as we await the fruition of your kingdom
May we be always gentle, kind and generous in our dealings with all
May we be faithful to you in all things
And may we have enough self-control to do all these things without fail
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
Amen