Where the Spirit Blows

“You must be born from above. The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
—John 3:7-8

There is no accident, I suspect, that Jesus’ discourse with Nicodemus, from which this passage is taken, features prominently in the Easter season lectionary readings. We have experienced the Resurrection, with its blinding glory and majesty, but now we must figure out what it all means, how we are to live as disciples.

Jesus answers: you must be born of the Spirit. And when we are, we are no longer masters of our own destiny. When the Spirit gives us life, it moves within us, drawing us here and there, stirring us in new directions. Just like the Spirit itself, which comes from a place beyond ourselves, we are buoyed to places we cannot imagine. We do not know where we are being led.

Lest we find this image too ethereal and comforting, it is worth noting that this journey of the spirit is not always pleasant. Yesterday I saw an old friend of mine whose husband is suffering from dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease. Beyond the exhausting challenges of helping him negotiate the illness, I could tell her greatest hurt was in knowing that he was not going to improve, but likely only deteriorate further until their inevitable parting. The Spirit is taking them both to destinations they do not want to go.

These un-chosen journeys of suffering, part and parcel of discipleship, are nevertheless brought to fulfillment in the Easter Mystery that launched us on this path to start with. The Spirit does not always take us where we want to go, but the Paschal Promise is that we will ultimately find our way home. Where we are being led is, in the end, to absolute and total glory, to the resolution of all suffering, to a reconciliation of all within and among us that is incomplete, broken, and unfulfilled. Our broken hearts will be mended. Our lost loves will be reunited to us in a way far more intimate than we have ever known.

God of Eternal Promise, fill us with your unpredictable Spirit. Lead us on, into the unknown, with faithful hearts overflowing. Bring all those who suffer into your Life, as you bring the whole cosmos into the unity and fulfillment of New Birth. Amen.