In Shakespeare’s play, Henry V, the king is walking on the battlefield amidst the terrible carnage of war. More that 6000 bodies lay strewn in the posture of death. King Henry then quotes from Psalm 115: Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name give glory. It is hard to imagine that God felt very glorfied in the scene of destruction. That is another reminder of the very human tendency for human beings to do what we want and then to find some way of justifying it as being of God. Instead of invoking the Holy Spirit (the Paraclete as Jesus says) to seek what God wants of us we do what we want and then find some scriptural or other religious cover for our actions. If we want to follow the Spirit’s lead we should seek the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, fidelty, generosity, gentleness, self-control.
MAY82023
By Church Staff
