“Truly it is the spirit in a mortal, the breath of the Almighty, that makes for understanding.” (Job 32:8)

I was aware that in both of the biblical languages, the word for breath/wind/spirit is the same: ruah in Hebrew and pneuma in Greek. So, when I approach this topic, I figured it would be easy to trace the metaphoric meanings since they are imbedded in the language already. Wrong! It is true that both breath and wind help us understand the meaning of spirit, but after reading over 600 passages about spirit, it became clear to me that the key point is that all three words have significant elements of power that is largely invisible and mostly unpredictable. Creating a framework for explaining the biblical notions of spirit, therefore, has been a terrific challenge and I apologize in advance for all that I leave out.

First, there is the problem of definition. There is no definition of spirit in scripture, just countless examples of its expression at both the human and divine levels. So, after reading the many various ways it is used in the Bible, my stab at a definition is this: the energy of life. It can be positive or negative, come from inside or outside, inspire or overwhelm, create or destroy, disturb or comfort. It’s as if all the significant activities of both God and humans emerge from this animating energy.

So, although spirit goes beyond breath and wind in significance, let’s start there. All living creatures have the breath of life, given by God, and the when each patriarch dies, he ‘breathes his last.’ Isaiah 42:5 describes how God gives breath to people and also spirit: To breathe is a gift of God, stirring us from dust to life, but with the expectation that we will DO something with our spirit in that life. Our breath is in some sense God’s own breath, God’s spirit working in us. Job says it directly: “…as long as my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils…” (27:3) Modified breath we call speech, and God creates with his Word (Psalms 33:6) and the prophets proclaim the words of God. Often these words are words of judgment, blasts of anger (Job 4:5) or breaths of rebuke that lay bare the foundations of the world (Ps. 18:15). When our human spirit gets too proud, we are reminded that the length of our lifetime is a mere breath (Ps. 39:5) and our thoughts but an empty breath (Ps. 94:11.) Idols show their impotence because they have no breath (Hab. 2:19.) Breathing is basic to life on many levels: It provides oxygen, deep breathing calms us, speaking and singing are foundational to being human. Scripture reminds us that spirit, like breath, is internal, the deepest part of who we are, but comes from a divine source.

On the other hand, wind is external. God starts the creative process with wind in Genesis 1:2. God’s wind blows in deliverance (dividing the Red Sea, bringing in quail to eat) and blows away the wicked like chaff (Ps. 1:4.) The wind is sometimes God’s hot breath and the prophet’s voice often carries the same sense of judgment, e.g., Jeremiah’s pronouncements on Jerusalem are compared to a hot wind (4:11-12.) Winds test the faith of both the wise and foolish builders in Jesus’ parable in Matt. 7, and Jesus establishes his divine heritage by calming the winds that terrify the disciples (Matt. 8:24.) The troublesome will inherit the wind (Prov. 11:26) and Paul warns us not to be tossed by every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14.) On a positive note, John

compares the movements of the Holy Spirit to the wind, coming and going where it chooses. One memorable blowing of the wind of the Spirit is on Pentecost in Acts 2. So, wind is a powerful biblical symbol for both the human dimension of spirit (we are susceptible to outside forces) and the divine (God moves to both bless and chasten.)

So, the magnificent metaphors of breath and wind sketch in the dimensions of the spirit. There are both human and divine components to spirit, it moves inside our hearts and minds and also moves us from outside through good and bad influences. The point is that our spirits are dynamic, changing for better or worse, susceptible to both inspiration from God and temptation from our more elemental desires. We’ll expand the scriptural dimensions of spirit in Part 2.

Every meditation instruction calls us to count our breaths to calm our hearts and minds. Have you found that effective? Do you ever feel that God is breathing with you? The trees in Biosphere 2 grew to a certain height in the perfect conditions of the experiment and then fell over. What was missing? Wind, to toughen them up! Do the winds of life strengthen our spirits?

-- Jack Nuzum

Would you be interested in submitting a daily devotional for the Newsletter? If so, send an email to Pastor Pam at prowley@stjohns-abq.org!

Please include the following items when writing a devotion:

A Focus Word or Phrase

A Scripture (it can simply be referenced)

The Body of the Devotion (one page is a good guideline)

A Prayer or a Spiritual Practice

Our next hosting rotation will be October 18th - 24th. The families are still at Church of the Good Shepherd, and we will be providing dinners each of the evenings, Sunday - Saturday. Like the rotation at the end of July, there is a Signup link HERE. If you have any questions please contact Linn Furnish: swimsew@comcast.net; 505-884-6626 or Jenn Shields: jennshields200@yahoo.com; 505-450-9978

Join us for a new series of concerts live-streamed from the St. John's sanctuary! Concerts are a benefit for Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless. musicatstjohns.org

Gustavo Pimentel, guitarist

JOIN US FOR WORSHIP LIVE-STREAMED FROM THE SANCTUARY

St. John’s will live-stream a worship service on Sunday morning at 9:30 am (Contemporary) on the Abide Facebook page and 11:00 am (Traditional) on the homepage of the website. We hope you’ll worship with us! (Pastors Pam and Kelly will lead, along with Shea Perry, Jim Ahrend, and Matt Greer). We hope that you’ll participate by singing and praying at home! Any questions? Email Matt at mgreer@stjohns-abq.org.

Missing getting together with your St John’s family after church? Join us in the virtual Sonshine Coffee Zoom immediately following the 11:00 am Worship. Church Leadership Team members starting with Jim Hickman will be hosting with the Pastors Pam and Kelly joining if they are available. Zoom registration is HERE.

The class always welcomes new faces, whether they wish to become permanent members, are interested in a particular study, or need a Sunday School family while on temporary assignment in Albuquerque. We typically alternate between modern books and books of the Bible. We are currently nearing the end of I’d Like You More If You Were More Like Me, by John Ortberg. Contact Regina Hunter, drhunter@nmia.com, to be added to the invitation list on Sundays and to learn of the next book.

Family Spirit Class meets by zoom on Sunday mornings, 9:30 to 10:30. They are studying John Ortberg’s book The Life You've Always Wanted. Brian Eagen and Doug Sweet lead this study. Please contact Anita Hallstrom at anitah1@comcast.net if you would like to join this zoom class.

Christian Classics Sunday School Class is meeting by Zoom at 3:30 PM on Sundays. We are studying The Wisdom Jesus by Cynthia Bourgeault. Contact Jack Nuzum at jcnuzum@juno.com to join in.

There are few more perplexing issues for people of faith than that of unmerited suffering. We understand when good people prosper and evil people suffer. But what about when good people suffer for nothing that they did? That is Job's situation and the book that bares his name is a complex examination of the issue.

Join us for a Zoom study of this book (for four weeks) and then the delightful Old Testament stories of Ruth and Esther the final two weeks. The Bible study will take place on Mondays, October 19-Nov. 23, 2020, at either 10 AM or 7 PM. You may join either class or jump between them. If interested, or if you have questions, contact Jack Nuzum at jcnuzum@juno.com or 505-265-5241. Jack will be leading the discussion and will send out a Zoom invitation before each meeting.

The Missions' Team will be hosting another DRIVE-IN, DROP-OFF on Saturday, October 24, 3:00 – 5:00 pm in the east parking lot of St. John’s United Methodist Church (2626 Arizona NE). The recipient is Mandy's Farm (https://mandysfarm.org), a nonprofit organization that assists individuals with developmental disabilities in achieving their goals for living, learning, and working in the community. Ruthie and David Robbins, St. John's members, are the founders of Mandy's Farm. The items listed below are the needs of Mandy's Farm:

printer paper

disposable gloves

masks (disposable or fabric)

disinfectant

hand sanitizer

toilet paper

paper towels

kleenex

art supplies (crayons, colored pencils, paintbrushes, paint, watercolor paper)

puzzles

So, every time you go shopping this month or have products delivered to you, think about Mandy's Farm and pick up some extra items. We’ll collect all these items on Saturday, October 24th!

If you’d rather give $$ instead of buying the products yourself, you can bring it that night, mail it to the church, or go to the St. John’s online giving. Be sure to write "Mandy's Farm" in the memo field of your check.

The Missions’ Team thanks you so much for your generosity!!!

Calling all Cars. Many children will not be able to trick-or-treat door to door this year because of Covid-19. Let's create a fun, safe, socially distant, costume-filled, and candy-laden option for children in our community on Oct 31st 2:30-4:30PM. To keep everyone safe, masks are required, gloves are needed, and individually wrapped candies are a must. We are looking for 25 people/families to participate. Can you join us? Please register to volunteer: https://conta.cc/3bPziEM

Photos from the 2019 Trunk or Treat:

To better streamline all the ways we communicate, the Youth Group has adopted the Slack app to merge and integrate the our direct messaging, digital calendar, Zoom account, and all our online documents. It is easy to join the threads that apply just to you. Join in here: bit.ly/joinumyfslack1

Summer is past, and as we get back to school? Our Solid Ground youth group will resume meeting every Sunday at 4:00-5:15PM with new games, discussions, and faith-building activities plus new features of the student led Soap Box and Top 5s. Log-in. at: bit.ly/Fall2020UMYF (case sensitive).

While we are not yet allowed to sing together, stay informed about the activities of the Sonrise Youth Choir, including weekly Zooms on Thursdays at 4:00 pm (Jackbox games!!), and musical workshops in the Fall! Email Shea at sonrisechoir@gmail.com!

St John’s Food Ministry continues to serve the people of Albuquerque--approximately 500 people per month!--with hot meals prepared in our kitchen,  Do you have a surplus of fresh produce from your garden that you would like to donate to St. John's to feed the hungry? If so, please contact Chef Tim at tnuzum@stjohns-abq.org.

The announcements below include using the program "Zoom" to group-video chat. You can find a tutorial on how to use Zoom HERE!

Join St. John’s Music Director Matthew Greer for a new weekly session in which he talks about the music ministry, explores hymns and choral music, and chats with the occasional guest about music they love. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!

Log in and have coffee (or tea) and chat with Pastors Pam and Kelly! Zoom link HERE.

Meet by zoom with Pastor Pam for a 30 minute spiritual practice every Thursday afternoon. We will explore different ways to pray, to commune with God, to nurture our spiritual lives with Christ through the Indwelling Holy Spirit. Space is limited, join the class HERE.

Remember to get started on your family-history manuscript with Terri Link and Regina Hunter, Saturdays from 10:00 to 12:00. If you have trouble connecting before 10:00, all Regina at 294-2877.

Reading Our Bible Together in 2020 will begin a new study, “Sermon Series,” on Monday, Sept. 27. Preachers love sermon series, partly because in a good sermon series, one idea will last for weeks. This episode of Reading our Bible Together will look at some of the sermons preached long ago by Moses, Jesus, Peter, Paul, and others, and we’ll see that these sermons still have important messages for us today. Download a study guide here. To receive daily study tips by email, write or call Regina Hunter at drhunter@nmia.com or 294-2877.

Anyone is welcome--no experience is necessary. (And, yes! It's okay for Christians to meditate.) If you want to learn more prior to starting, the sessions will be similar to ones she leads and records on YouTube. Each session will be hosted on Zoom. HERE is the zoom link. Please contact Susan Brumbaugh, counselor@stjohns-abq.org, or 505-506-6716, if you have questions.

Carmen Vargas is the recipient for the prayer quilt on display for October 12 - 25.

In lieu of tying knots, please pray this prayer (or your own prayer) for Carmen: “Heavenly Father, we lift up Carmen and ask for your guidance as she seeks your will in her ministry for your kingdom."

With the Church currently closed, the prayer shawls have taken up residence with Hunt and Ann. They are actually quite comfortable in the coolness of their new home but they would love to be of comfort to someone in need of God’s love. Please contact Ann at mapalook@comcast.net or 768-7013 if you would like a shawl. If you call, the basket will await your visit in their courtyard. Blessings -

It seems like a very long time since we have been able to be together as a church family. Our staff has worked hard to keep us connected through virtual worship services, drive-in or small in-person services, and some Sunday School classes and other groups have been able to continue via Zoom, meeting safely at the church, in homes or even in parks. The Leadership Team wants to make sure everyone in our church family is being contacted in some way, especially those of our members and friends who might not have regular contact with people. We are looking for volunteers to help us call a small number of members to find out how they are, to let them know we are thinking of them and to find out how the church can help them. If that sounds like something you would enjoy doing and sending information back to the church about these members, please contact Barbara Stanfield, barbarastanfield@comcast.net. Thank you for considering helping in this important ministry of reaching out to our St. John’s family.

How we support you and your family in prayer during this difficult time? Prayers for health, employment, peace? Please send your prayer requests to the Prayer Team: mapalook@comcast.net or submit them on our website HERE.

It is hard to get out and many people shouldn’t. Is there something you need delivered from the store? If we are able to help, we have a few volunteers who would like to serve as Go-fers for people who need something but cannot get it on their own. Please pass any requests on to Jarrod at c.care@stjohns-abq.org

The St. John's staff includes a licensed mental health counselor who is available to meet virtually (using a smartphone or computer) in a secure online platform during these anxious times. If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally, counseling is available. Click here or contact Susan Brumbaugh at 505-506-6717 or counselor@stjohns-abq.org for more details about session and cost information. Susan also has a Youtube Channel with mindfulness tips HERE.

OCTOBER SPECIAL OFFERING: World Communion Offering 

     This month we will be remembering our unity with Christians around the world. Our special gifts will go to students like Kennedy. She lost her father when she was eight and her family struggled to find enough to eat. But with the help of her church, Lotus UMC in Maryland, and a World Communion scholarship, Kennedy is on her way to giving back to the community as a physician.

  Far away in Nigeria, Obinna grew up without electricity or clean water. Yet, today with the help of the Global United Methodist Church via a World Communion scholarship, he is studying to be an engineer.

  Nelson Mandela once said," Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world." Please give generously any time in the month of October.

In accordance with the New Mexico Department of Health order, our facility will be closed until further notice. We will keep you apprised as things develop.

Your St. John's pastors and staff are still very much on the job, and are available to you during this time. Please reach out to us if we can help you in any way!

www.stjohns-abq.org

(505) 883-9717

2626 Arizona St NE | Albuquerque, NM 87110

Office Hours (call only): Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm