The Dove part 2
This is a little bit more Scripture than I usually try to quote in a Rant, but I think its a good foundation for what I want to say going forward, "Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her and pulled her in unto him in the ark. And he stayed yet another seve days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more" (Genesis 8:8-12). There's a lot here, and I don't think I'm going to be able to dig into all of it. But I want to point out the olive leaf. Because olive oil is another picture of the Holy Spirit. So, in a sense, after the flood waters washed everything clean... the deep was calling out to the deep. The dove (the Holy Ghost) found an olive left (the Holy Spirit). Love feeds on love. What you feed is what will grow. And how you feed love is by loving. Loving God and loving people. Loving God BY loving people. And you can only do that when you let the Holy Spirit--the Spirit of truth that leads and guides us into all truth... the truth that God is love and He loves you--reveal God's love to you, and in you, and through you, and as you. Because that's what the Holy Spirit is--He is our love receptor. See, the Holy Spirit didn't turn us into something that God could all of a sudden love. He always has loved us and He always will love us. The Holy Spirit transformed us into something that could finally receive, and know, and believe, and release, and share and experience God's love! That's the power of the dove finding the olive branch. It gave Noah hope. Or, really, proof that what God has promised had come to pass. And look at this part, because I think this is great: "...and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more." The dove flew from Noah's hand all the way to Jesus as He rose out of the waters of baptism. It finally found a resting place. Jesus said, "...The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). Now catch this: He IS the head. And WE are the body. The church is the place that He rests His head. And we are the church. The church is not just a building. The church is a people. Instead of focusing so much on GOING to church, we need to understand that wherever we go... we ARE the church. And He RESTS His head on us. That posture of rest that lets what's inside flow out. The dove landed on Jesus. He is the head, and we are the body. The dove landed on us, in a sense, if I can say it that way. And tomorrow we're going to get into my favorite part of this--the doves' eyes. And the dove herself. Its such an amazing picture of what I think I'm talking about. Such a cool progression. But for today: The dove found a place to land. To rest. To dwell. The Holy Spirit lives in us!