January 20, Epiphany 2C (1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11)

In my usual worship setting, you would attract some suspicious glances if you raised your arms during a hymn. If you gave a spontaneous prophecy or began speaking in tongues, people would slowly inch away from you and wonder about calling the local mental health facility. We are not exactly a charismatic congregation.

And yet, talk of the Spirit seems more frequent in my church context these days. Perhaps it is because our world feels out of control right now, and we desperately long for a power greater than ourselves to swoop in and make it all right. It comforts me to think that “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” I imagine divinely inspired speech flowing forth, deep healing washing over the earth, mighty miracles fixing the wrongs that seem unfixable.

Much of the time, I feel overwhelmed by the problems of the world. I think many in the church feel the same way. So even those of us with distinctly uncharismatic leanings welcome all the help we can get. Bring on the Holy Spirit!