"Chasing the Wild Goose"

If you haven't read Mark Batterson's book, "Wild Goose Chase", I highly recommend that you first try to find it in your local library and failing to do so, order it from Amazon. The book is about the Holy Spirit and its title is taken from the way the ancient Celtics thought about him, a "wild goose".

Recently I saw segment on a television show about two young men in London in the early 70's who purchased a young male lion from a famous department store. They were able to "tame" the lion while he was young but as he grew much larger they wisely realized that living with this naturally wild animal as though he were a dog or a cat wasn't very smart. So, after several years they took him to Africa to an experienced animal conservationist who had worked with such animals for a long time. Eventually the lion was released into the wild to be what he naturally was, a wild animal living free rather than in a limiting cage.

Please feel free to disagree but I think maybe we modern Christians try to do something similar with the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote this to his son in the faith at 1 Timothy 3:16 "Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great", which he then applies directly to Jesus' incarnation, earthly ministry and ascension. I see the Holy Spirit lurking in there too because from Jesus' conception to ascension, the Spirit's role was pivotal.

Hundreds of years before Jesus' earthly ministry, God promised to "pour out my Spirit on all people", the Joel prophecy which Peter quoted at Acts 2 as its fulfillment on Pentecost. As a young preacher I confess that I conveniently "skirted around" most of this great promise because I was unable to fit all of it into the theology I had been taught and was comfortable with. Not any more.

I confess also that I still am unable to answer all the questions that Joel's prophecy raises for me but the easy answers I was taught in my younger years seem now to be an effort to put a leash on the Holy Spirit. Trying to put the Spirit of God into a personal theological box that I am comfortable with is equivalent to thinking I can make a wild animal into a domesticated house pet. Truly the "mystery of godliness is great" and it always will be. In the same way that I cannot fully explain how God became a man (although I understand "why"), I will never be able to answer all of my questions about the Holy Spirit.

The ancient Celtics had it right I think, the Spirit of God is and will always be a "wild goose". My faith finally came to a point where I realized that I really don't need answers to all my questions - I just need to have faith in my Father that no matter what, his Son and his Spirit will always be at my side to reassure my heart and challenge my spirit. He may not always do so in ways that fit my theological leanings but when that occurs I know there is something I need to learn from the experience.  HALLELUJAH!