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John 20:19b-22
May 22, 2026 by Rebecca Littlejohn
DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE
John 20:19b-22 – Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I sent you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (NRSV)
The Spirit moves in many different ways. This Sunday, we will celebrate the somewhat raucous story from the second chapter of Acts, when there was wind and fire and people speaking in lots of different languages. There will be bright colors and interactive art projects and ribbons to wave in the air. This is the story of Pentecost, which came 50 days after the Resurrection. Or so said the writer of Luke and Acts.
According to this story from John’s gospel, Jesus gifted the disciples with the Holy Spirit on the evening of the very same day he arose from the dead. There wasn’t any wind or fire or multi-lingual testifying; there was just a quiet, gentle breathing upon. I can picture Jesus giving them this gift like you might blow the seeds off a dandelion while making a wish.
As part of the church that was born through that gift, we know that there are countless other ways the Spirit arrives beyond these two dramatically different examples. The laying on of hands during an ordination. The moment someone rises from the waters of baptism. The powerful sense of shared purpose that sometimes grips a committee meeting when a new ministry is being born. We, too, have experienced the arrival of the Holy Spirit, and we need to claim that.
That’s why it’s so helpful to remember that it doesn’t always look like wind and tongues of fire. Sometimes the Spirit is as present in what we don’t say as She is in what we do say. Sometimes the Spirit shows up in the ways we listen, rather than how we talk. Sometimes it’s as simple as breathing together in the same space as we focus our intentions on peace.
However She is moving these days, we want to be ready to receive Her, to welcome Her, and to open our hearts and our lives to Her guidance. So come join us Sunday to welcome Her arrival!