The Spirits of Our Time
This post was originally written for the newsletter of the Hope-Western Prison Education Program. For information about that program, go to hope.edu/hwpep.
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-control.” – 2 Timothy 1:5-7
Paul’s words to Timothy raise many questions for us today. Do we have certain gifts given by God that we should be rekindling today? Do we feel different spirits blowing through us ... a spirit of “cowardice”? ... a spirit of “power and of love and of self-control”?
During this time of the pandemic, I have occasionally felt the desire to withdraw from the tasks at hand into a safe cocoon. I have seen that reaction as well in many of my students; many have quite understandably had a very difficult time finishing their work this past semester. The task of writing itself, a task which requires a surprising amount of energy, creativity and courage, seems just too much. The fear which this virus has produced in our society dampens spirits and can lead to timidity; the gifts we have been given go unused, neglected. In the face of the pandemic, we often need rekindling.
The Spirit of God, the Spirit by which the world was created, produces and rekindles life. But it is important to see that the life that is rekindled has a certain kind of shape or pattern to it. I am intrigued by the combination power, love, and self-control that Paul mentions. The power of God and the power that God blows into God’s creatures is not an uncontrolled rage; nor is it a domineering imposition of force. The fire that is rekindled in us is not best likened to a blaze that burns out of control, a fire that glories in consuming what it comes into contact with. Instead, the shape of that power, the shape of God’s Spirit of life, is ultimately that of love. It is a power that seeks the good and flourishing of everything it touches. It wakes us up and moves us out of apathy, inaction, timidity and cowardice, and rekindles in us the gifts that God has given us, gifts to be used to bring life, healing, justice, and the flourishing of all.
This is not only the time of the pandemic. It is also the time of George Floyd. The murder of George Floyd has shone a harsh light on the gross injustices that are woven into the fabric of our society, injustices which quite literally steal the life-breath out of many black lives. It has kindled a lot of justifiable rage and also backlashes of fear that seek to dominate and control that rage. What would it look like to find a way to catch the wind of the “spirit of power and of love and of self-control” in this midst of the cross-winds and storms of this time? I thought I spotted a bit of the shape of God’s Spirit in the words of the rapper Killer Mike, who was invited by Atlanta’s mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, to use his gifts to creatively and courageously compose and deliver some words to their city. He said, “It is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy. It is your duty to fortify your own house so that you may be a house of refuge in times of organization. Now is the time to plot, plan, strategize, organize and mobilize.” He did not ask people to be timid, nor did he incite them to an uncontrolled rage, but rather called them into a posture of controlled power that follows the arc of justice, an arc that hopefully leads past justice to brotherly love.
