Stirred by “the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the Spirit of joy in God’s presence,” I am here to witness: I have been shown mercy by Jesus. I have been healed from fear. I have received freedom from shame. I have been given a new heart, and a new spirit has been put within me. And it is the truth that has set me free.

The truth is that in Christ we are loved with the love that the Father has for the Son and the Son has for the Father. The truth is that we are not left as orphans, but that the Holy Spirit has come to us. The truth is that Jesus came to earth not only to heal what was broken but to breathe peace on us before he returned to his Father. And the truth is that Jesus’ breath was a new creation: out of chaos, the ordering of all things. The order is love. You, beloved. Me, beloved.

So I am standing by the baptismal font in the courage and the power of God, and I am renouncing the works of evil which defy God. I renounce the chaos of shame and control and oppression. I renounce the abuse of power and privilege that renders any of God’s precious children disgraced, or perhaps worse: invisible. I renounce the lie that I am not good enough to be welcomed by God, not important enough to be rescued by God, not blessed enough to be in community with you.

Filled by the Spirit, we are sent to be the embodiment of Jesus to each other, to enact the peace we have received. This is the Church: the people of God “quickened, strengthened, and absolved,” sent to preach that in the love of Jesus the captives are to be freed and the broken may be made whole; sent to preach the truth which sets us free from fear and shame and evil, free for peace between us. Sent to preach the Good News of the grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, which alone can be the defining features of God’s true kingdom. These are the gifts Jesus asked his Father for, and these we are commissioned to make visible to every person we encounter, to make real in every relationship we are given.

The Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world. Let our hearts be joyful. Alleluia!