Peace, Power, and Presence!

I’m not accustomed to seeing very many Mourning Doves in the springtime. Many hunters in our area like to harvest these bullet-fast birds for sport and food in September. I do know that it takes a good mess of dove’s breasts to make a delicious bread-dressing recipe! I have read and understand, though, that many of the eleven varieties of the dove species, who habitat in Illinois, do not migrate, but spend their winters in the Prairie State.

In late April and early May of each year, doves begin building nests and mating in earnest. Mourning Doves receive their name from their low and soothing mating call that sounds like a lament or sorrowful song. Some have mistaken this sound for an owl! I looked out the kitchen window recently and saw one of these beautiful birds gracefully moving about our rock patio. It was pecking and foraging for small seeds. Ornithologists say that a dove eats up to twenty percent of their body weight daily! That’s incredible to me!

The dove plays a prominent role in the biblical story. After the great and devastating flood, Noah dispatched a dove from the ark to survey the area. The Scripture records that, “When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.” (Genesis 8:11, NIV).


In the New Testament, Mary and Joseph sacrificed two turtledoves during Jesus’ dedication and for Mary’s purification ceremony at the Temple (Luke 2:22-24). But one of the most notable occasions when a dove appeared, though, was at Jesus’ baptism by John on the edge of the Judean Wilderness. “As soon as Jesus was baptized… at that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:16-17).

Throughout history, the dove has become a universally recognized symbol of the Holy Spirit for the church. From the time of the Father’s anointing of the Son at His baptism that formally launched Jesus’ earthly ministry until the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), the birthday of the church, believers have been celebrating right up to this day and time, the peace, power, and presence of God through the Holy Spirit.

This Lord’s Day is marked on the Christian calendar as the celebration of Pentecost! Fifty days after Easter Sunday and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the believers faithfully waited in Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Spirit. The Apostle Peter preached and quoted the prophesy of Joel, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people” (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17-21). Jesus had instructed the disciples with this promise, “In a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:5).

The Bible pictures this epic, apocalyptic event of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit in this way, “On the day of Pentecost all the Lord’s followers were together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak.” (Acts 2:1-4, CEV).

Charles Wesley, the great Methodist songwriter, prayerfully invoked the spirit of Pentecost, in his hymn, “Come, Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire, let us thine influence prove; source of the old prophetic fire, fountain of life and love. God, through the Spirit we shall know if thou within us shine, and sound, with thy saints below, the depths of love divine.” (Hymnal, 603).

Pentecost Sunday is our opportunity to recognize and celebrate the peace, power, and presence of God in our daily lives! This Sunday is a testimony to God’s fulfillment of His promises to put us at peace with Himself through Christ, empower us with resurrection power for daily living, and to indwell and keep us with His abiding presence! We no longer need to wait for the Holy Spirit! Church, He’s already here!

Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
active churchman and
doting grandparent.
Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com
©2018-2026 All rights reserved.
Serve by Design. mjkministries.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Pray and Move Your Feet!"

Image
There is an old West African proverb: “When you pray, move your feet.” I have said something similar in a little different way: “Be careful in your praying. You may be (and often are!) the answer to your own prayer.” Others see this almost as a command to “Put feet to your prayers!” What do we mean by these various sayings? Prayer is not just an important spiritual discipline for the Christian, it often leads to an “in the flesh” response and connection between the pray-er and the prayer request. Prayer and Action! pngimg.com While prayer is one of the spiritual disciplines, this doesn't mean it is just an academic, theoretical or forensic exercise! I have heard it said, "God inhabits the praises of His people." This suggests that it blesses God to hear the praise of His people in prayer. I believe that the Lord gets an even greater blessing when our praying is “incarnated” in devotion, commitment and service for Him. Our best efforts at praying involve action plans to ...
Read more

A Reminder of Hope!

Image
After all these years, I am still filled with joy and feel a childlike giddiness when I see one of God’s colorful “bows” arcing across the sky. I can’t count how many times I have invited family and friends to come to the window or step outside to see the unfolding drama in God’s message of hope in a rainbow arcing across the sky! God's Handiwork! Our son recently sent me a picture that perfectly captures God’s creative handwork in a beautiful rainbow. As is typical, a thunderstorm and downpour drenched his neighborhood. He and his daughter had stepped out the front door to survey for any wind damage. Looking up, they beheld the stunning perfection of dazingly colors in layers of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Many of us have heard about the science of rainbows. Simply stated, they develop as light from the sun is refracted through the water droplets after a rain. Mathematicians add that rainbows are all about geometry. They occur when the sun is low in the...
Read more

Grumpy and Crotchety!

Image
Just the other day, I watched a humorous interview with a preteen. This occurred on an afternoon entertainment news program. What caught my attention in this brief and show-ending feature was that this youth was explaining her bad attitude while riding in the passenger seat of the family car. She was speaking to one of her parents as she made this adult-like excuse, “I’ve been crotchety since I was nine!”  Image: freepik.com I have enjoyed watching the Grumpy Old Men movies (1993, 1995) several times. The original film featured three of my favorite actors: Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, and Ann-Margret, It’s a story of two men, Max Goldman and John Gustafson who are neighbors and lifelong friends that find themselves competing for the affections of a beautiful woman,   Ariel Truax, who lived across the street from both men, Matthau and Lemmon with deadpan humor do a masterful job of bringing their characters to life in an uproariously funny and absurd way! I’ve had my own grum...
Read more