June 11thBreath of Life
To my dear TFMC family,
It’s easy to become discouraged with the current state of affairs. It’s easy to become overwhelmed, disengaged, and to perceive that amongst the struggle and strife of everyday life, God must be distant; that God has forsaken God’s people and God’s church. One may be tempted to cry out, “Where are you, God?!”
Since the beginning of 2025, the Church Council has adopted a new practice as part of their regular meetings. At the start of each meeting a member of council is appointed to be a listener. Their task is to listen to the flow of the conversation, and to discern, and name for council at the end of the meeting where they have experienced; and by that I mean seen, heard, felt, God present and at work in the congregation.
It has become a valued part of our council meetings, often highlighting things that might not have necessarily been noticed. At our council meeting last evening, it was no different. Except we had some new language to play with.
This past Sunday, I spoke about the different ways we can perceive and engage with the ‘Holy Spirit,’ specifically the name that’s given. I looked at history, original languages, and translations of those original languages. And while air, wind, breath, soul, and life would be the most accurate translations, I found myself gravitating towards calling the ‘Holy Spirit,’ God’s breath of life. And the more I’ve sat with this phrase, the more appropriate it’s felt.
God’s breath of life, for me, encapsulates both the airiness of the Holy Spirit and both the life giving nature of God’s Spirit. And in some respects it’s easier to name places where I find life; where I find the movement of life and new life present, than it is to name the Holy Spirit at work. Perhaps it’s a personal reticence, or maybe it’s a reaction to it’s over use, but to say that God’s Spirit is present feels a bit arrogant, however, to say that God’s breath of life is moving, somehow that feels easier.
And as we sat around the meeting table, reporting, discussing, discerning opportunities for the church and congregation. It truly felt that there was a breath of life. It felt like God’s breath of life was blowing. There are good and life-giving things happening.
Could I have said that the Holy Spirit was at work, sure, I could have. And, at the same time, I don’t think it would have carried the same depth of meaning as saying that God’s breath of life was blowing. The latter feels so much more…alive.
Yours,
Craig Janzen Neufeld, Pastor