There is a beautiful story of creation found in Genesis 2:5-7

At the time God made Earth and Heaven,
before any grasses or shrubs
had sprouted from the ground—
God hadn’t yet sent rain on Earth,
nor was there anyone around
to work the ground
(the whole Earth was watered
by underground springs)—
God formed Man out of dirt
from the ground and blew
into his nostrils the breath of life.
The Man came alive—a living soul!

(The Message)

The breath of life!

We have been talking about breath a lot lately. A virus that spreads throughout the air on a single breath. A virus that steals the breath from our lungs. Anxiety induced panic attacks leaving us short of breath. George Floyd, held on the ground calling out, “I can’t breathe…”

It is Pentecost Sunday this Sunday, a day in which we celebrate a spirit that is so powerful it knocks the mute disciples off of their feet and sends them out into the world to breathe the words of grace, to breathe the words of hope, to breathe the words of love, out onto a weary world. And in this spirit-led breath, people began to inhale the sweetness of new life into their very beings.

How I pray for that same spirit to come among this day – to come so forcefully that it will steal from us our muteness and give us voices to speak. Steal from us our muteness that keeps us from speaking out against racism. Steal from us our muteness that keeps us silent in our places of privilege. Steal from us our muteness and gives us words to speak into these difficult conversations in difficult times.

I read this morning a post
(I can’t remember from where)
this simple statement,

“Breath is life.
No breath
is death.”

Let us remember this this weekend as the Spirit once again enters in. That we may inhale this breath of life, rise again from the dust and the dirt and make our way into the world sharing this breath of life, love, hope. Each of us, a living soul.

Amen.

– Pastor Lauren J. Wrightsman

Prayer

Holy Spirit, breath of all life, breathe into us again this very day. Breathe into us and unlock our lips so that we may speak. Give us breath, gracious spirit. We can’t breathe without you. Amen