Luke 1:34-35 The angel Gabriel speaks of the Holy Spirit

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.

When many people think of the Holy Spirit, they think of Pentecost and the disciples talking in tongues. It is easy to assume that the Holy Spirit is the aspect of God we experience after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension. The Holy Spirit however can be found throughout the Bible – both Old and New Testaments – and we read today of the Holy Spirit being involved in the conception of Jesus. The Holy Spirit, then, can be understood as God moving in the world, and it is how many people directly experience God in their lives today. As it did for Mary, the Holy Spirit directs us to what is holy in our lives – where God is moving us towards – and it is a source of both wonder and blessing.