How much do we take the Holy Spirit for granted?
I know I do.

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly
declared to be the epistle of
Christ ministered by us, written
not with ink, but with the Spirit of
the living God; not in tables of stone,
but in fleshy tables of the heart.
^{2 Cor 3:3}

We spend a lot of time thinking about Jesus coming to this earth at Christmas. We read the gospels to see what Jesus did, how he thought, what he said, and we strive – rightly – to follow his example. We spend more time at the cross, at the tomb, celebrating Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter.

Consider that in the Trinity, both the Son and the Spirit are both co-equal and co-eternal with God, the Father. The Spirit is just as important and just as much a part of the Godhead as Jesus the Son is. The Spirit is not just a slice of God living in us. God doesn’t partition out the Spirit, a bite to each of us, like sharing a sundae where everyone dips in their spoon. Just as the Son died and rose for each one of us, the Spirit in full lives in each one of us.

We can read in Exodus how Moses went up the mountain to meet with God and how God gave him the tables of stone with the Ten Commandments. God also gave him many other laws about cleanliness, godliness, and worship. He gave Moses the building plans for the tabernacle. He wanted a place where the people would go to worship him and where he could come down to meet with them. When Jesus was here on earth, the people had the temple to go to for worship. It was built along the same lines as a permanent structure. People went to confess, to sacrifice, to meet with God, and God was there in the holy of holies to meet with the priest.

The curtain, up to 12″ think was torn from the top to the bottom when Jesus was crucified. The way had opened for humanity to approach God directly. The Spirit came at Pentecost to be that guide and comforter. Now, the Holy Spirit lives in us as the temple of God. God, in the person of the Spirit, is there to meet with us whenever we call on him.

So, going back to the opening paragraph, how much do we take the Holy Spirit for granted? Do we recognize this is God, not just some force, a voice, a moral compass. Jesus came as Immanuel, God with us. The Spirit is here as God within us. Both are persons of the Trinity with God our Father.