God’s Spirit Poured Out

Then afterwards
 I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
   your old men shall dream dreams,
   and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female slaves,
   in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

Today’s daily meditation from the Church of England (14th Feb) was by Tom Clammer, who gave his thoughts on the Book Of Joel, Chapter 2 verses 28 – 32 .

Tom Clammer led his readers to make a connection between the prophecy of the Old Testament prophets, like Joel and what, in hindsight they are prophesying about, or rather whom.
Tom invited his readers to make the link between prophecy and fulfilment by making the connection with the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. Tom Clammer makes this point:

“What happens between Ash Wednesday and the  feast of Pentecost is, of course, the Passion, death and  resurrection of Jesus. When we read of portents in the  heavens and on the earth’, when we think about darkness  and blood, we are not only sitting firmly in the tradition of  the Old Testament prophets; we are also in the story of  Good Friday.” 

He then makes a further link between the darkness  experienced by Jesus which enfolds him in his suffering and death. This, he says, is the cost to Love, the cost to our salvation, the price Jesus pays. In paying it, Jesus  makes the utterly self-emptying offering, is indeed  amazing grace, and the gift to us is the closeness and  intimacy of the Holy Spirit.

In the pouring out of God’s Spirit in the Crucified’s action we are reminded that it is the connection made between us and Christ Crucified; between Jesus and the world of the prophets, we are caught up in what Tom Clammer calls an extraordinary act of love.
As ever in our involvement with God, we are not spectators but fully involved.

In the context of the passage from Joel, that involvement calls us to become dreamers of dreams and sharers of visions. For this, we must, Tom Clammer insists, pray. At the end of today’s Reflection he makes both a plea and an injunction: to pray once again  for the Holy Spirit of God to make us receptive to the  dreams and visions that might inspire us for the living of  our Christian faith today.  

And here lies the challenge for me and I think for many.
So many of us are infected with a ‘deep negativity’ which enforces a downward drag of the Spirit of God within us. Very little in the news from ‘the affairs of men’ (and it’s mostly men who are leading us downwards!), give us much to hope for, in the world, in nations and also in churches.

Yesterday I met a neighbour in my road and we passed the time of day. In our own ways we have a deep love of God. As we talked, her two children, aged 6 and 8, politely waited. I said that I felt that my post-war generation had failed in building a fair, just and hope-filled society. I looked at her children and added that I fear for them and all young people throughout the world. What sort of society, world, climate or alternative kingdoms such as that of the animals, are to be our legacy to those growing up today?
What hope can we give to them and what vision?

This is the challenge that came to me when I continued to  think of today’s reflection from Joel.

Old men, like me, are being called again to dream dreams, and our young are being led to see visions and all, whoever they are, must become people from whom the Spirit of God pours.
That can only be so if we move away from negativity to an enrichment of a life which, despite those who are despots and dictators would wish it otherwise.

There is a Proverb in Chapter 29 of the King James Version of the Bible, which reads:
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
That was quoted to me many years ago now, and I have never forgotten it
(though, sadly, I haven’t always practiced it!)

We cannot do this alone because as a well-known prayer puts it, we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves.
So we must turn back to God. His joyous, glorious vision is always reflected in creation, in a world teeming with real life and growth. God’s love is waiting always to pour over and through us.
In that love our visions and dreams begin and blossom.

My friend Gill’s latest photo gives me both inspiration and hope in all this, because as a biblical poet once said in a Psalm (21)
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

[Mr G. 14th February 2025]

[][][] The Revd Canon Dr Tom Clammer trained for the priesthood at Westcott House, Cambridge, before serving his Title in the City of Gloucester. After curacy Tom was incumbent of seven rural villages in the Diocese of Gloucester, before becoming Canon Precentor of Salisbury Cathedral. He retired from the cathedral in 2019, and now combines a ministry of spiritual direction and writing with teaching posts at Cuddesdon and Sarum College.