Spirit of Gentleness

 Spirit, spirit of gentleness,

Blow through the wilderness, 

Calling and free.

Spirit, spirit of restlessness,

Stir me from placidness

Wind, wind on the sea.

Sometimes a hymn sung on Sunday stays in my head a few days bringing me peace and comfort.  It's as if the entire congregation singing the hymn are wrapping around me like a giant embrace.   At 3 AM hearing the hymn in my head rocks me to sleep like a lullaby.

Last Sunday, as we sang the hymn "Spirit of Gentleness", I was struck by the poetry of the words: not just the images or meaning of the words but the beautiful sounds of the words. This hymn is awash with sibilance which is, for me, very soothing.  The image is of wind which can be gentle but also can be strong as wind often is near the sea.  But it is also an image of the Holy Spirit blowing us with energy.  The imagery is beautiful and yet, there's also the sounds of the words, sibilance, with the "s" sound:  "spirit of gentleness. . .spirit of restlessness . . . .stir me from placidness" I found myself singing it while exhaling a lot of air and emphasizing the "s" sound.

The refrain opens with "Spirit, spirit of gentleness" but concludes with "Wind, wind on the sea" : one is a gentle breeze and the other a stronger wind on the sea wanting us to move.  We can sit back and enjoy a gentle breeze but the stronger wind pushes us, directs us, forces us to move with the wind at our backs. The Holy Spirit may be with us all of the time but when it needs us to move, it urges us forward.

Although first three verses tell the history of the Holy Spirit at creation, with Moses and with Jesus at birth, the final verse, switches from past tense to present  tense:

You call from tomorrow;

You break ancient schemes;

From the bondage of sorrow

The captives dream dreams.

Our women see visions;

Our men clear their eyes.

With bold new decisions

Your people arise.

The sibulant sounds of the final words in each line, gives us a gentle hug while the meaning and images are pushing us forward.  This is followed by the refrain which gently holds us and yet encourages us to move forward:  much like a parent urging a child with anxiety to sing that solo.  The Spirit is gentle but urging us to move forward, to go, to grow.

It's all too easy for us to be complacent:  sitting in the sun enjoying a gentle ocean breeze.  But, we need to be aware of when the Spirit wants us to move---be aware that the wind is picking up and is no longer soothing us but now blustering and we need to move.