ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
May 13, 2026
The English songwriter, singer, and Grammy-winning composer, Jacob Collier, offered the commencement address at Berklee School of Music in Boston. You can find it on YouTube, and in it, he said, “You are only as powerful as you make the people around you feel.” Those words have been resonating with me for a little more than 24 hours. Empowerment can often be the greatest gift one person can give to another, especially when someone has been made to feel worthless or has been intentionally disempowered. Simply telling someone to pick themselves up does not always work. Some folks need a hand to help them up, and then someone who will walk alongside them until they feel a bit more confident. Many of us experienced this as young people, through parents, coaches, teachers, Scout leaders, etc. But there are too many who heard a very different voice, a voice that undermined their sense of self-worth and capacity to see past the present reality. Even when Jesus told those who had been paralyzed to get up, he had already done the necessary work to heal and strengthen what had previously been unable to stand straight. Our power as followers of Jesus is rooted in the Holy Spirit, yet it is only potential power until it makes someone feel as if they have the power they previously did not have.
For the way you, Holy Spirit, have empowered me through the love of Jesus, I celebrate with gratitude. Now point me to where I can help facilitate that experience in someone else’s life. Amen.
