None of us understands God or the Trinity, and perhaps most of all, the Holy Spirit – the part of the Trinity that represents the very power of God.
When Jesus allowed Himself to be baptized by John, the Spirit of God descended on Him like a dove.
After Jesus left them by ascending to heaven, the apostles did what any normal men would do– they gathered, locked the door and basically asked, “Now what do we do?” The Holy Spirit arrived, their doubts were erased, and they went out and faced the world, and even death, fearlessly.
So why would such a great power (actually the Greatest power) appear as a dove? Even more profound, is that some biologists tell us that the dove in the New Testament was the rock dove, or what we today call the common pigeon.
Why?
I can’t answer for God, but I remember that when Elijah was told to prepare for God to pass by, He wasn’t in the earthquake, or the fire or the wind. He was in a whisper.
I remember that Jesus the Messiah came not as a king or a warrior, but as the “Lamb of God.” Instead of taking the role of the high priest, He offered Himself as the sacrifice.
So, at least in my heart, the Power of the Holy Spirit comes as a dove because God in whichever way He discloses Himself, Father, Son or Holy Spirit, He comes to us peacefully to invite us even though He has the power and the right to command us.
The next step is up to us.
sfnowak 