There is a strong tendency for those of us who have been through the American Charismatic Renewal of the 1970’s and ‘80’s to look back on those days with fervent longing. We take precious moments out of the closet of our memories and gaze fondly on their faded glory. With earnest yearning we desire to recreate the glory of those days in the present time. We look eagerly on the horizon for stories of new movements of the Spirit in other places, longing for their repetition here. We travel miles, even across oceans, hoping to share in a blessing being poured out on some distant place.

God never does the same thing twice, not even snowflakes, much less the outpouring of His Spirit on human flesh. He cries out “"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

I had the privilege of knowing one of the primary catalysts of Charismatic Renewal in the early 1970’s. Dennis Bennett was a beautiful man and the testimony of his personal experience of the Holy Spirit paved the way for much of the movement of the Spirit that was to follow, especially in the mainline churches in the years to come. In one of my early conversations with him, this lover of the Holy Spirit made the following prophetic remark: “The Charismatic Movement is reliving all of the ancient heresies as though Church history didn’t exist.” Perhaps one reason why God doesn’t repeat old blessings is because he wants us not only to learn from the old blessings, but also to learn from the mistakes that we wander into in our enthusiasm. Seasoned men and women of the Spirit learn that not everything we do under the Anointing is actually anointed! It takes maturity to tell Holy Ghost Fire from Wild Fire. Nevertheless it would be a tremendous mistake to confuse the excesses of human enthusiasm with the essence of God’s work.

The word “charismatic” is derived from the Greek word “charism,” a New Testament word for a gift of the Holy Spirit. Cardinal Suenens of Belgium once said, “No charisms, no Church.” All ministry of the Holy Spirit in and through the Church is carried out by the charisms of the Holy Spirit. The shape of the ministry of the Church is determined by the charisms of the Holy Spirit. Where this is no longer true, you have only a dead and lifeless orthodoxy.

The charisms of the Holy Spirit are so evident in the life and ministry of Jesus that His very title “Christ” refers to the Chrism, or Anointing of the gift giving Spirit of God. We ourselves are called “Christians.” The word was originally an insult referring to “little anointeds.” We are in a deep sense Charismatic, precisely because we bear the name Christian. That is why at every confirmation the Bishop prays over the new confirmands saying, “By the sealing of your Holy Spirit you have bound us to your service. Renew in these your servants the covenant you made with them at their baptism. Send them forth in the power of that Spirit to perform the service you set before them; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.”

God’s exhortation to his people is “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” We cannot relive the past, but we can be open to a future unfolding of the Charisms and ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Lord is doing a new thing. It is at once Biblical, Sacramental, and Growing in the Spirit. It is deeply rooted in Scripture, tradition and the theology and history of the Church, and it is a logical continuation of those things that the Church has always believed. It is a new thing in that it is a fresh experience of the Holy Spirit, Who Himself makes all things new. It is not God’s intention that we fondle faded glories, but that we renew His work in this present time by opening our minds and hearts and surrendering to the Lord who breathes new life into His people.

- Father Rob +

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