Like A Glove

I know that sometimes I need to hear things over and over again for them to sink in and that is why I am so grateful that Jesus has really emphasized the gift that the Holy Spirit is to us for weeks now. Today he calls the Holy Spirit “The Promise of my Father.” The thing with promises is that human promises almost always fall short and so I tend to think of them as a really nice notion, but kind of impossible to stand by. I think perhaps a divorce might have imprinted that cynicism in me and definitely betrayal and I’m sure each one of us can recall a broken “promise” or two in our own lives. Jesus goes on to say, “stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” So the Holy Spirit is the promise of the clothing of power from on high. I can’t help but to picture any one of the iconic superheroes that don their superhero outfits for their superhero behavior and how most superhero clothing fits like a glove! I just recently heard a Bible study on the story in Judges of the fun character Gideon that speaks to this clothing business. Judges 6:34 reads, “Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.” Apparently, however, the literal translation is, “The Spirit of the Lord put Gideon on like a glove.” What? This simply blew my mind because there is a huge difference between having the Holy Spirit on the outside and having the Holy Spirit fill my inside. This truth showed me how much God trusts us. He trusts us enough to clothe His very Spirit. We become the outward appearance, the protective armor, the face of, the glove that fits over the movement of God! Like a superhero outfit that gives the superhero identity, I am identified as the trusted one that clothes the essence of God. The only unforgiveable sin mentioned in the Bible is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, suggesting that the Holy Spirit is God’s most precious gift, and today Jesus tells us that we are called to be clothed with God’s most precious gift. Now that is some serious trust. When I combine the idea that the Holy Spirit puts me on like a glove, and God trusting me to be the faithful steward of his most precious gift, I find myself humbled to tears at the amazing weight of glory that rests upon each one of us. It covers me in security like a blanket and that security empowers me to find the heroic virtue that the Spirit of God has entrusted to me. Each one of us has the superpower of the Holy Spirit for lack of a better word or analogy, and we are the superhero outfit that indicates that power with our lives. I know we have probably all pondered what superhero power we would choose and I always choose flying, but today I find myself getting a bit more deep and wanting to choose peace, freedom from shame, supernatural wisdom, and unfailing mercy as my superpowers. And guess what, because the Holy Spirit wears me like a glove, all I have to do is let Him move me and these powers are already mine. 

The ascension of Jesus (or his moving up and over us) is the imparting of the superhero outfits for us to clothe his Spirit like a glove. The promise of the Father is that we will receive power when we let the Holy Spirit fill us, and superpower from on high is the His most precious gift. There’s a fun scene in Grey’s Anatomy when brain surgeon Amelia Shepherd is caught posing like a superhero before a delicate surgery: feet planted firmly in a wide stance, hands on hips, chest out, and head up. When asked what was happening she explained, “There’s a scientific study that shows that if you stand like this, in superhero pose for just 5 minutes before a job interview, or a presentation, or a really hard task, you will not only feel more confident, you will perform measurably better.” Let’s firmly plant our feet on holy ground, widen our stance for stability, put our hands on our hips for strength, inflate our chest so that we fill it with love, and always look up to see the open heaven that is over us as Jesus ascends. We clothe Him like a glove and that is all the confidence we need to perform measurably better. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 ACTS 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for "the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

When they had gathered together they asked him,
"Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth."
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, "Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."

Responsorial PsalmPS 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 

R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 EPH 1:17-23

Brothers and sisters:
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might:
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

Or HEB 9:24-28; 10:19-23

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that men and women die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus
we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,
that is, his flesh,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God, "
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,
with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed in pure water.
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,
for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

Alleluia MT 28:19A, 20B

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 24:46-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things. 
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high."

Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.