Sermon May 17, 2026 “Is the Spirit a Dove or a Wild Goose?” by Rev. Katrina Ross Zezza

 

Sermon May 17, 2026 “Is the Spirit a Dove or a Wild Goose?” by Rev. Katrina Ross Zezza
Scripture Reading: Acts 1:6-14


Our friends have a baby who’s a big part of our lives. His name is Jacob. He's two and half now, and he’s a party animal. He loves people and dogs and he’s always on the move. He comes to our house a lot and my daughter Joey has become one of his regular babysitters. Jacob was at our house this week, on Wednesday afternoon. And I was working on my sermon, laying down on the couch. I could have sat at my desk, but I wanted to be downstairs to hang out with them as I worked. He loves to collect things and put them places, it must be an important developmental thing. Joey was following him around as he moved all of the pencils from a basket to the inside of a drum. Joey asked if she should stop him but I said I’ll just fish them out of the drum later. He gets so focused. There must be something critical happening in his brain, and even if we don’t fully understand it from a developmental perspective, I’ve always thought the more we can let kids do what they naturally are called to do, the more their brains will be able to develop the way they’re meant to. Of course, we still have to make sure they stay safe and the pencils were making me a little nervous. Anyway, I was watching him out of the corner of my eye as I wrote. A few minutes later he came over to me. I gave him a high five without looking, and kept typing. But unbeknownst to me there was a giant glass of cold water sitting next to me on the end table. As I was typing away, he picked up the glass of water and matter-of-factly poured it directly on me. I was truly speechless. He stopped for a whole second mid pour, looking at me, while I was frozen in a state of shock. Then he proceeded to dump the rest on me with a neutral look on his face. Joey was standing right there and we were all in shock, even Jacob. I said slowly, “Joey… can you go get me a towel?” And she said, “Mom. Stop laughing. He has to learn that he did something wrong.” She was right of course, but I couldn’t help it, even though it was not convenient, it was very funny.

It seemed fitting that I was reading about how the Iona Community in Scotland sees the Holy Spirit not as a hovering peaceful dove but as a wild goose: untamable, raucous, and always on the move. They observed geese flying in the gray windy skies, off the West coast of Scotland, and they thought it embodied the adventure of being on a faith journey, and how unpredictable that can be. Trusting God can sometimes feel like a wild goose chase. As John 3:8 says, “The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter, the last Sunday before Pentecost, which is next week. And it’s the day we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, 40 days after he rose from the dead. In our reading from Acts today, the disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” And he replies, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.” He tells them that the restoration they seek will happen in God’s time. It will be revealed as God has determined is good, and not necessarily as we expect it. He says they now have the power, with the Holy Spirit as their guide in the time to come. They don’t get to determine what’s next, but they do have to get to work. As they’re watching, Jesus is lifted up, and a cloud takes him out of their sight. After he ascends to heaven, two men in white robes (aka angels) say, “Why are you just standing around looking up to heaven?” They’ve gotten their instructions, now it’s time for Jesus’s disciples to go into the world and spread the good news of the gospel. They aren’t supposed to just wait there looking at the sky, waiting around for Jesus to return. Jesus returns when we do what he has asked us to do: to love each other the way he loves us, and feed his sheep, as the Body of Christ.

I’ve been reading a book called The Spiritual Child by Lisa Miller, who is a research scholar on spirituality and psychology. In her book, she argues that spirituality is an important part of human development, and she explains the scientific link between spirituality and health. She studies the spiritual development of children, and when she started, in the 90s, she was shocked at how little research had been done on the subject. What she found in her research is that humans are born with a natural sense of spirituality that leads us to explore and grow as spiritual creatures. When this process happens unhindered, it leads to a unique kind of resilience. Young children often speak freely and imaginatively about God, invisible presences, connections with animals or nature, or deep existential questions. Miller encourages parents to honor these moments with curiosity and attentiveness, because they are an important part of the child’s spiritual development. She says parents and guardians sometimes worry that they need to have certainty or formal religious beliefs to foster their child’s spiritual development, but what the child needs more is simple accompaniment, and opportunities to learn. The adults in a child’s life don’t need to have the answers, they just need to provide opportunities for learning, witness them and encourage them. Kind of the way Joey followed Jacob around on Wednesday, as he collected things and put them in other places. She didn’t scold him or tell him it was a waste of time. She allowed him to follow his internal compass and accompanied him while he did it. It's similar with spiritual exploration. If a young child would like to talk to the trees and imagine them as having a soul, imagine with them. If they would like to play and make up unfamiliar story lines, play with them. As they get older, they will become curious about broader moral issues and particular theological beliefs. Miller says when they are encouraged to explore the concepts for themselves, with an understanding guide, they are able to build on their capacity to experience God personally and make it their own, which is so good for their long term health and well-being, according to her research. And participating in a supportive faith community is highly beneficial, but an important take away from her book, is that Miller distinguishes spirituality from religiosity. She says cultivating awe, meaning, connection, compassion, inner guidance and openness to mystery is more important for the child’s development than specific doctrines, which can actually sometimes be too rigid and have the opposite effect. It sounds like she’s saying that as human beings, we need to follow the Spirit where it leads, as a critical part of our health.

Did you know that when wild geese fly in a V- formation, they can fly 70% further than if they are flying alone? This is because, as a goose flaps its wings, it creates an updraft. The geese flying just behind can ride this upward air current, allowing them to expend less energy than if they were flying solo. And the goose at the very front of the V works the hardest because it doesn’t get the same boost. So to prevent exhaustion, the geese rotate, dropping to the back to rest while another takes the lead. Through shared leadership, humans also get further than if we are traveling alone. Like geese in migration, leadership can come from any edge of the flock. That was a major part of how the early church grew so rapidly. As they abandoned hierarchies and empowered each other equally, they became bigger than the sum of their parts. Instead of a clergy class, leadership was distributed in the priesthood of all believers. They created self-sustaining groups of house churches, adapted quickly in new regions, and expanded across the Roman Empire.

In the Bible, only the dove is represented as the Holy Spirit, and it’s understandable if we decide that the form of a dove is the best way to think of it. But maybe it’s ok to imagine other ways too, because when we make space for the Spirit to move in our lives, there are so many forms it can take, just like there are so many different types of birds in the world. I think the Spirit could also be a cardinal or a blue bird, but also a field sparrow or an american goldfinch, black capped chickadee, a Carolina wren or a red-winged blackbird. If children are meant to explore and imagine and make faith their own, then maybe humans of any age are also supposed to do that. To develop a personal relationship with God, we might need to go on a few wild goose chases.

So let us pray. Holy Spirit, alive in every living creature, help us to find the work we are meant to do to build up your kingdom. Please guide us and keep us in formation with one another that we may be the wind beneath the wings of those around us. May it be so Amen