cities, the devastations of many generations. Only the Spirit’s fruit- fulness can ultimately fund the “wealth of nations”—God’s reign of justice and mercy (Isaiah 61).
Nothing to lose So how do we live into the Spirit’s creative energy and power? Luther’s favorite
verse about the Spirit, Romans 8:26, describes how, amid our weakness and inability to pray as we ought, the Spirit intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. Like a mother giving birth, the Spirit allows God’s purposes to be born in our lives. Te Spirit’s prayers
The Spirit allows God’s purposes to be born in our lives.
LINDA S. SCHMIDT/
WWW.SHORTATTENTIONSPANQUILTING.COM/SHORTATTN@COMCAST.NET
ible life, our communities exist not for themselves but for the world. By giving us the power to announce God’s good news in a multiplicity of languages and cultures, the Spirit continually creates unity in Christ among people of diverse backgrounds. We can see the Spirit at work throughout our lives—
at home, at work, and even in broader economic and political systems. As Luther put it: “Experience is the school of the Spirit,” where we daily prove, test and feel for ourselves God’s power to create righteousness out of injustice and life out of death. In the words of Isaiah, the Spirit gives us power to become the “oaks of righteousness” who rebuild ruined
for us are far more potent than any of our hand-wringing or attempts at being trendy. Despite our fears and
inability to articulate about the Spirit, let’s risk stepping into God’s promise in our baptism. We have been called and given power to enter into our full maturity in
Christ—not just for our sakes or that of our dwindling congregations and institutions, but for the sake of a suf- fering and groaning world (Romans 8:22). What do we have to lose? All that counts now any- way is faith active in love.
Author bio: Malcolm is a professor of systematic theology at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., and the author of Holy Spirit: Creative Power in Our Lives (Augsburg Fortress, 2009).
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