On Identity

The Sunday called Sexagesima

O LORD God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do: Mercifully grant that by thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This post marks the 100th post since Canterbury Calgarian began back in August 2014. The first post explored the history of the English Church, and began a brief series that traced the history of Anglicanism through the centuries. One hundred posts later, it seems fitting to spend a bit of time exploring Anglican identity today in light of the myriad of other subjects that have been explored since that original historical overview.

What makes an Anglican today an Anglican? What distinguishes us from other Christian traditions and denominations?

Anglicanism is Evangelical. From the outset of the English Reformation, this was one of the goals—to suggest that the ultimate authority in the Christian faith was God’s word written. That although other things could be held to be required to be believed, none could be required to be believed as necessary for salvation. Article VI of the Articles of Religion states as much in plain words, and indeed throughout the prayer book are references to the sufficiency of Holy Scripture.

It becomes clear that Anglicanism as an identity is evangelical: it finds salvation in Christ through his gospels. This establishes Scriptures as the ultimate canon of orthodox belief, and also leads to the desire to evangelize and spread the word, both because it is the only way others may be saved and because it is Christ that commands us to do so in Scripture.

ALMIGHTY God, who by thy blessed Apostle it hast taught us that there is none other name given among men whereby we must be saved, but only the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Grant, we beseech thee, that we may ever glory in this Name, and strive to make thy salvation known unto all mankind; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Name of Jesus, 320)

So Anglicanism is at its heart evangelical. It is also charismatic.

Anglicanism is trinitarian and in so being remains open to the activity and presence of the Holy Spirit. Many collects refer to the activity of the Holy Spirit, and the sacrament of Confirmation is maintained to promote the reception, as is Biblically taught, of the Holy Spirit in order that he may indwell a Christian’s life and support and strengthen them. It is not a requirement or character of the Anglican identity to see manifested charisms of the Holy Spirit as somehow being necessary demonstrations of faith, but rather it speaks to a willingness to be open in all situations to the activity of the Holy Spirit, even when there is no direct perception of the intercession of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit’s place is deeply tied to the Anglican Church of Canada in particular, in that the Solemn Declaration of 1893 which declares that we continue to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit who was given by Christ to those who believe, and that it is through the Spirit that we are empowered in right worship of God the Father.

The Solemn Declaration itself also defines our Catholicity when it notes that we hold to the Catholic faith received and interpreted by way of the Book of Common Prayer, Ordinal and 39 Articles of Religion, and that we are, “to transmit the same unimpaired to our posterity.” In order words, to maintain that Catholicity.

Even in the Book of Alternative Services, that Catholicity is maintained and referred to quite explicitly in the preface to the ordination rites where it says, “It is also recognized and affirmed that the threefold ministry is not the exclusive property of this portion of Christ’s catholic Church, but is a gift from God for the nurture of his people and the proclamation of his gospel everywhere.” Put simply, there is no such thing as an Anglican priest, but rather a Catholic priest living out their orders in Anglican tradition.

That Catholicity is similarly affirmed in the Creeds and the sacraments which are maintained. While the Thirty-Nine Articles draw a distinction between the two great dominical sacraments instituted by Christ, the remaining five remain clearly Biblical and received by the whole Catholic Church, east and west.

Even there is a clear distinction, however, that our Catholicity is Anglican, which is to say, it is subject to Anglican distinctives. We receive what was accepted by the Catholic Church, the canon of Scripture and the Sacraments, the threefold order of ministry, but yet we maintain our Anglican Formularies to help interpret and apply what has been received, just as we accept the role of the Fathers in informing our interpretation of Scripture.

The Anglican Formularies particularly speak to some differences between Anglican Catholicism and Roman Catholicism, which is an understandable historical development given that Roman Catholicism was the only competing form of Christianity for the English Church in the time of the English Reformation. While the English Church had largely always maintained distinctives from Rome itself, these had begun to diminish in the 13th century through to the 16th century when the authority of the Pope was removed from England.

It makes sense, then, that the 39 Articles are the nearest thing Anglicanism has to a confessional statement. Rather than needing to assert the authority of Scripture behind a confessional statement, as continental Protestants were doing, the 39 Articles of Religion served to articulate how Anglican Catholicism differed from Roman Catholicism. We believed in the real presence, but not Transubstantiation. We believe in tradition, but it is subservient to Holy Scripture (Article XX) and there are limits on the authority of the Church to teach tradition, which contrasts with Rome in which Tradition and Holy Scripture are held to be equal in authority.

As a whole, these clear a clear identity, centred in God, in fellowship with other Christians, but practising the Christian faith in both an ancient and modern way. Rooted in the Holy Scriptures and the practices and teachings of the Early Church and the Fathers, articulated in the ancient Creeds and Councils and finally in the Anglican formularies, but also locally adapted to the needs of our modern society (for instance, the Canadian Book of Common Prayer includes prayers for our Canadian forms of Government and additional prayers relating to agriculture). Anglicans are evangelical, charismatic and Catholic.

While this description and identity helps us to understand our relationship to other Christians, it is also important to understand that first and foremost, we are not evangelical, or charismatic or Catholic or even Anglican. Our foremost identity must always be as children of God, adopted into his family through Christ, and in fellowship with all other brothers and sisters in Christ who make up the body.

On the Three Streams of Anglicanism

The Epiphany of our Lord

O GOD, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles: Mercifully grant, that we, who know thee now by faith, may be led onward through this earthly life, until we see the vision of thy heavenly glory; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.

The First Sunday after Epiphany in Octave

O LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people which call upon thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Just as there are multiple forms of Churchmanship among Anglicans, there have developed over times a number of primary forms of characterizing Anglicans themselves outside of the Broad Church/liberal or conservative/traditionalist dichotomies which can realistically be applied to any Christian tradition or denomination. Among Anglicans, there are generally viewed to be Evangelical, Catholic and Spirit-filled or Charismatic Anglicans.

Evangelical Anglicans hold to the supreme authority of Holy Scripture, and much like evangelical protestants, hold that all teachings and beliefs are to be tested against the teachings of Holy Scripture alone.

Catholic Anglicans tend to hold their authority in the universality of the early Church. The Catholic creeds, the ecumenical councils of the Church prior to its division, and the writings of the early church fathers are all held to be of certain levels of authority, though ultimately they are never held in opposition to the Scriptures because their acceptance has always been predicated on their apostolic witness which is the same witness recorded in the Holy Scriptures.

It should be noted at this point that Evangelical and Catholic Anglicans should not be confused with Anglo-Catholics or Low Churchmen or High Churchmen. These labels refer more to theology and view rather than specifically to liturgical and ritual preferences. It is entirely possible for there to be an extremely high church evangelical who prefers the use of incense based on its Biblical use rather than its historic use in the Church and ascribes to it a different meaning than might typically be associated with its use from a Catholic viewpoint. Similarly, it is entirely possible to be a Low Churchman Catholic Anglican, who eschews ritual as being unhelpful to personal worship and devotion of God, but who holds a Catholic viewpoint and mind with respect to doctrine and theology, and even other elements of personal piety.

Spirit-filled or Charismatic Anglicans place a greater emphasis on the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Such an Anglican is more likely to look to exercise gifts of the Spirit, in contrast to Evangelicals and Catholics who might view the charisms described in the Scriptures as having largely ceased at some point in history. Again this openness to the work of the Holy Spirit does not suggest that the Holy Spirit will over-rule the Scriptures, but rather suggests a different emphasis and lens by which the Scriptures might sometimes be examined or applied.

There is something helpful about these descriptions at times. When they are universally held they can be useful descriptors of theology when two Anglicans meet one another, or perhaps to describe the general trends of a particular parish. Yet the reality is that Anglicanism requires all three.

In order to be Evangelical, you must be Spirit-filled. In order to be Catholic, you must be Spirit-filled. Christ tells us in the Scriptures he will send the Holy Spirit, this coming of the Holy Spirit is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost, and subsequent to that, a number of the Biblical writers, and especially St Paul, write about the nature of Spiritual gifts and how they are to be exercised. You cannot be an Evangelical Anglican without being Spirit-filled. Similarly, how many of the Fathers of the Church wrote on the importance of the Holy Spirit? The role of the Holy Spirit is prevalent throughout their writings, empowering and strengthening Christians through the ages. Even within the Book of Common Prayer itself, the Holy Spirit’s role is quite evident. It cannot be ignored. To be Catholic, to present one’s own mind as being in line with the mind of the Church, one must be Spirit-filled.

The reverse holds true as well, in that it is not sufficient simply to accept that the Holy Spirit can influence us and empower us, for we are also told in Holy Scripture to be wary of spiritual warfare and evil spirits who would seek to corrupt us. Without the canon of Holy Scripture to test against, it is difficult to maintain orthodoxy when immersed in the Spirit. It is far to easy to claim something as the Spirit’s will when it is at best our own will. It is our Catholicity that similarly informs how we interpret Scripture, and as such prevents us from applying our own desires and opinions to the interpretation of Scripture, reading into it, the technical term for which is eisegesis, our own meanings.

Finally, to be Evangelical you must be Catholic, for that same reason. You cannot hold the Scriptures alone, indeed it is the Catholicity of the Church which upholds the Canon and affirms it. Why is Romans a book of the Bible? Because it was held to be Apostolic and inspired, and was received by the whole Church as such. How is it interpreted rightly? Look to the Father’s of the church and those who have succeeded them in expounding upon and articulating their right beliefs. The reverse holds true as well. You cannot be Catholic without being Evangelical for the same reason. The Canon of Scripture itself, the Bible, is a central part of Catholicity.

These three streams of Anglicanism may hold a certain value as descriptors, but we must never look on them as being separate streams held in tension among one another, but rather three ways of looking towards God’s truth, that emphasize different parts of that truth while not excluding or ignoring any of that truth as seen from other perspectives.

When you ask someone what the purpose of evangelism is, the primary lens through which they view their faith will affect their response. Someone who is Evangelical is more likely to respond in terms of sharing God’s love with others and bringing them to knowledge of that love itself. Someone who is more Catholic minded may not have as enthusiastic a response, simply noting it is part of Christ’s great commission and that we, in faith, continue to evangelize in obedience to him. Someone who is Spirit-filled might similarly respond by discussing the charisms relating to evangelism and how we hold a responsibility to use those gifts.

All three responses are true, but to speak the whole truth, all three must be brought together and much like the Holy Trinity, where we must not distinguish the persons to the point we lose the oneness of God, we must not distinguish these three streams of Anglicanism to the point we lose the wholeness of our faith.

On Obedience

The Second Sunday after Christmas

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin: Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

 Having identified a number of charisms, which is to say gifts, given by the Holy Spirit, the question then becomes one of why they are given, who receives them and what they are to be used for.

Last week’s discussion focused on the charisms or gifts of the Holy Spirit and ended with some consideration on the topic of how gifts are to be used, in reference to St Paul’s instructions in I Corinthians 14 that the gift of tongues ought to be accompanied by interpretation. Those were not the only instructions provided by St Paul, and the other Biblical writers, on how and why charisms, that is to say gifts of the Spirit, are to be used.

The first clue indeed comes from earlier in St Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians where he says, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the Common Good… All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills,” (I Cor 12. 7, 11). From this first point, St Paul begins to hint at a complete answer to some of these questions, though primarily addressing the question of why. In this, he suggests it is God’s will that determines what gifts we might receive. It is always important to bear this fact in mind, as it reminds us that these gifts are not available for our own use as we want, but are free gifts given to us by the Spirit. This nature, that it is given by God’s will and not our own, also hints towards how we are to use them.

As to who receives gifts of the Spirit, St Paul also comments in chapter twelve that while one is given the figt of wisdom, the other knowledge, another faith. In making this statement he notes quite clearly that not every Christian receives each gift. This aligns with his previous comments that gifts are given based on the will of God. But it also makes clear that any Christian may receive. To some who are unfamiliar with gifts of the Spirit, they may think that only some Christians receive gifts of the Spirit. That you must, perhaps, be particularly pious, or devote yourself to prayer. Yet St Paul’s words in Holy Scripture make it quite clear that it is not the case and that any Christian may exercise gifts of the Spirit. Indeed St Peter makes it more explicit when he says that every Christian receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit (I St Pt 4. 10).

St Paul expounds on the why of this in his epistle to the Romans when he says, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,” (Rm 12. 4-6). Here he makes clear that each is given the gifts, in accordance with God’s will, that would be useful for them to serve out their callings. Being members of the Body of Christ, each member receives what is needed, such that the whole body is well-equipped.

Therefore in these collective statements, St Paul and St Peter have largely addressed the question of who receives charisms and a bit on why they are given, leaving the larger question of how they are to be used.

Ultimately that question is to a degree answered in the same way. St Peter specifically calls on Christians to use their gifts, “to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,” (I St Pt 4. 10, 11). St Paul similarly writes, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,” (Eph 4. 11, 12). Here he is again speaking of equipping, but elaborates on the goal of such equipping, that those individual members use their gifts to build up the body of Christ. It should be noted, that there is a dual meaning to building the body of Christ. This can be viewed both as encouraging and building up the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and also bringing new people to faith in Christ.  Another way of looking at this is to suggest the dual purpose involves building up the faith of others and being a witness to non-Christians.

This raises the final, and perhaps most important question. Once you understand what spiritual gifts are, to whom they are given, why they are given and for what purpose they are given, the question is how to respond. The answer is simple enough: loving obedience.

Faith in Christ calls us to act out our faith as we are told in Scripture, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled”, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead,” (Jas 2. 15-17). It is the Holy Spirit that equips us to, figuratively, clothe and feed the poor in Spirit.

When St Paul exhorts young Timothy saying, “Do not neglect the gift you have,” (I St Tim 4. 14a) he is speaking of a Spiritual gift. So just as faith calls us to act in love, gifts of the Spirit call us to repond by using them for the purposes they have been given. We are to respond in obedience.

Immediately after identifying gifts of the Spirit in that well-known passage from I Corinthians 12, St Paul immediately ties the use of gifts of the Spirit to love. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing,” (I Cor 13. 1, 2).

It is the combination of these two passages that gives us the clearest and simplest response to gifts loving obedience to God, manifested through loving service and witness to others.

On Charisms

The Feast of St John the Apostle and Evangelist

MERCIFUL Lord, we beseech thee to cast thy bright beams of light upon thy Church, that it being enlightened by the doctrine of thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John may so walk in the light of thy truth, that it may at length attain to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Sunday After Christmas Day

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin: Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

The Nativity of our Lord in Octave

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin: Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St Paul tells us that, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us,” (Rm 5. 5). This love takes not simply the form of adoption through Christ into an intimate and personal relationship with God, but also through a number of gifts of the Spirit.

The Greek word charis is most commonly translated as a gift of grace. As we are told in Holy Scripture, it is the Holy Spirit who pours these gifts of grace upon us, so when we think of the Christian term charismatic, which is derived from the root charis, we can define it as a person who has received the gift and anointing of the Holy Spirit.

In its modern Christian context, charismatics are a particular type of Christian, but when considering the origin of the term, if you are not charismatic, it means you have not received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and in that sense all Christians should strive to be charismatics! In the ancient Church, those who received the Holy Spirit were known as the anointed ones, in Greek Christos, from which we derive Christian.

There remains in modern Christianity a lack of familiarity with the Holy Spirit, and gifts of the Spirit, but there is a treasury of information available, both in Holy Scripture and through the witness of saints in every age.

St Paul in his epistles listed many of the gifts of the Spirit. These include the utterance of wisdom, the utterance of knowledge, the gift of healing, the working of miracles, prophesy, the ability to distinguish between spirits, speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues, (I Cor 12. 8-10), service, teaching, exhortation or evangelism, generosity, leadership, mercy (Rm 12. 7, 8), and to this could also be added the fruits of the Spirit which are also gifts of grace granted by the indwelling of the Spirit (Gal 5. 22, 23, 25).

Some of these gifts have fairly straight-forward meanings and interpretations. The gift of leadership, for instance, or even the gift of teaching. We all know what it means to be a leader, and all Christians understand the Holy Spirit’s role in inspiring the teaching we receive when we gather to hear God’s written word. Yet some of the other gifts are a bit more complex. What is the difference, for instance, between the gift of knowledge and the gift of wisdom? What is a prophet and the gift of prophesy, and how does that relate to the office of Prophet?

These types of questions are all natural for anyone who lacks instruction and familiarity with these parts of Holy Scripture, and as with any part of Scripture we must always keep in mind the response of the Ethiopian Eunuch, who asked, “How can I [understand], unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8. 31).

While there are no universally accepted definitions for the exact nature of all gifts—and it should be understood that the Spirit gives these gifts as he wills and does not need to be conformed to earthly definitions—there are some general understandings that can be helpful.

The historic Prophets of the Old Testament were given particular words for God’s chosen people, and were commanded by God to proclaim them. They would preface their statements by saying, “This is what the Lord says,” to make clear that they were messengers for God. For most, their words were not so much prophetic as we think of it in terms of foretelling the future, but rather their words were warnings. They would call God’s people to repentance, pointing out where they had fallen away from God’s law, and explain what calamities would fall upon them if they did not return to God. Whereas the Prophets of the Old Testament received very specific words to say, the gift of prophecy today may involve less specific prophetic words. There has been no accepted or recorded instance of someone being given the specific words of God since the time of Christ. Indeed, some of the prophetic aspects of the office of Prophet have been split into multiple gifts. Some of the references to the gift of prophecy also suggest it may simply refer to the collection of other gifts related to supernatural revelation from God, rather than a specific gift relating to foretelling the future.

The gift of knowledge and the gift of wisdom relate to the office of Prophet. They are other gifts that require some level of explanation as they seemingly refer to the same thing, however there are important distinctions. In both cases they refer to something supernatural and beyond ourselves. In the case of wisdom, it is wisdom from God that cannot be explained as simply the application of our own God-given wisdom. It refers to wisdom for a particular situation, and it can be for ourselves or more often for the situation of another person. Conversely, the gift of knowledge refers to some form of supernatural knowledge. Again the gift of knowledge is often for someone else, and because of that, it can be a complicated gift in that the knowledge does not necessarily make sense to us.

The Rev. Can. Gene Packwood has described a situation in which he received a word of knowledge for a particular woman, “God likes your french fries.” This seemed to him, and indeed to anyone else, a silly word of knowledge. Yet when he shared this word with the woman, it bore deep meaning to her, encouraged her and brought healing to her. She had been moved by the efforts of a youth group and had sought to show her appreciation for them by buying them some french fries. Others within her church had reacted negatively, saying she had sought to draw attention to herself for her charitable act, yet the word given to Gene encouraged the woman to know that God had seen the charity and love in her heart.

The gift of healing and miracles are more easily understood gifts, that involve simply supernatural occurrences of healing or some other unexplainable phenomenon. While it is only natural to level some amount of scepticism towards these events, thinking that they are merely natural phenomena we don’t have the scientific understanding to explain, there are also occurrences in which God’s hand is at work. Holy Scripture tells us to expect them and we should remain open to accepting that in his sovereignty, God continues to intervene supernaturally in our lives.

The gift of tongues is probably one of the gifts the most associated with charismatics due in large part to the Pentecostal movement, and is also a gift that can be misunderstood. Among Pentecostals, it has been the belief in the past that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was predicated on the gift of tongues. In the historic context there have been two forms of the gift of tongues, both in the speaking of an Angelic language, which we are most familiar with today, or the speaking in other human languages which the person does not know. This is the historic first example of the gift of the Spirit when the Apostles began to speak in all tongues after the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

What should always be noted about the gift of tongues is how St Paul explicitly pairs it with the gift of the interpretation of tongues, and even later goes on to say, “For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit,” (I Cor 14. 2) and continues on explaining the need to pray for interpretation.

St Paul’s instructions on the use of the gift of tongues and interpretation in that chapter form a key practical example of the purposes and uses of gifts of the spirit, which ultimately helps further to explain what they are, and will be explored in the next part of this series on the Holy Spirit.

On the Comforter

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

RAISE up, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.

Advent

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, now and ever. Amen.

Christianity is trinitarian. We are all exposed to it. Whether it be in the reciting of classic prayers such as the Gloria Patri or solely through Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we have experience in hearing about it. We experience the Father in most of our Old Testament readings. Much of our Sunday services are dedicated to the Son, as indeed is the season of Advent in which we anticipate his coming in history, his coming now and his coming again. But what about the other guy?

For many Christians, they may as well have been baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the other guy. Who are we talking about? Who is the other guy? Why does he matter? That is an easy question to ask and a longer one to answer, and will occupy a series of posts over the following weeks.

For some Christians, the reality is that they are uncomfortable with the Holy Spirit. The Acts of the Apostles tell of a number of great miracles that the Apostles performed under the inspiration of and by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is far easier for us, with our modern sensibilities, to look upon those miracles, and even upon Christ, and acknowledge them as something that may have historically happened, but maybe were just exaggerations and embellishments to the written record to enhance the authority of the Apostles. Surely there is no way that those things could still be happening today.

Cessasionists make that argument that the gifts of the Spirit are no longer provided, and this viewpoint is one that ultimately suggests there is little activity or purpose for the Holy Spirit today. By suggesting this, it shifts an emphasis in empowerment away from the Holy Spirit and back to God, particularly when the suggestion is made that the gifts of the Spirit ended due at least in part to God’s judgement against unbelief, as some cessasionists argue.

Lack of familiarity, which can come from this and other viewpoints that marginalize the activity of the Holy Spirit, can make Christians ultimately uncomfortable with the Holy Spirit. When our day is spent in praise of God for his Son, with no reference to the Holy Spirit or to Gifts of the Spirit, especially if Gifts of the Spirit are characterized as something meant for a previous time, it can necessarily lead to us feeling discomfort or confusion.

Who is the Holy Spirit? To paraphrase Origen, let us return to the evangelical and apostolic, and consider what Holy Scripture tells us.

The Holy Spirit is not an innovation of Christ’s time, and the Spirit of God is referenced a number of times in the Old Testament. From the Spirit of Creation (Ps 104. 30) to the teacher of truth (Job 32. 8) and even as a companion and manifestation of God’s presence among his people (Hag 2. 5). There is a rich tapestry that forms the foundation of the clearer revelation of the Holy Spirit, who is sent to continue these tasks in a new way in the New Testament.

Shortly before his arrest and trial, Christ famously promised to send the Holy Spirit, saying, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you,” (St Jn 14. 16, 17). He continues two chapters later saying that the Holy Spirit, “will guide you in all truth,” (St Jn 16. 14).

The promise Christ makes in the Gospel is fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles:

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2. 1-4)

What is notable as that the Holy Spirit came with a visible sign of empowerment. The Apostles were emboldened and equipped for the task Christ had given them, just as Christ had foretold at his Ascension when he said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth,” (Acts 1. 8).

The Bible speaks in several other places of the continued power and effect of the Holy Spirit. St Paul in particular spoke voluminously on the gifts of the Spirit, and the role of the Holy Spirit in our Christian lives. Familiarity with the Holy Spirit requires only reading of Scripture, and as the Holy Spirit is himself (note him, a person of the trinity and not an impersonal force as is suggested by saying it) part of the Trinity, to know the Father and to know the Son is to know the Holy Spirit.

For Anglicans, our familiarity with the Holy Spirit ought to extend beyond that. In our common prayer, we pray to and by the Holy Spirit in many different occasions. Whether it be through some of those ancient prayers, such as the Gloria Patri, references to the Holy Spirit in the creeds, or through numerous collects and other prayers, the Holy Spirit is central to Christian belief and Anglican practice.

he arguments of cessationists simply don’t have merit. Christ didn’t send the Holy Spirit to astonish or amaze, but to equip! Anyone who holds true to Christianity ought not to be concerned, surprised or anxious about reference to the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts or empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Christ himself has sent the Holy Spirit to be our comforter, to come beside us, to guide and strengthen us, to sustain and equip us for his good work.

The Fourth Sunday in Advent is our final Sunday spent focused on the anticipation of his coming. That coming does not simply refer to his coming in history through his incarnation and nativity, however. It is his coming in history, how he comes in the Eucharist and his coming again on the last day. The theme of this fourth Sunday in Advent is love. The collect calls for God to stir up his power among us. While Christ’s coming in history is the ultimate display of his love (St Jn 3. 16) it could equally be seen that the sending of the Holy Spirit is another great testament to God’s love for mankind as the Holy Spirit truly is God’s power among us today. For it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to live in Christ, and through living in Christ to be adopted into the family of God. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit, therefore, that, by Christ, we are to come to know God, one of the primary emphases of the season of Advent.