YouTube -- Pentecost (May 24, 2026)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, May 24, 2026.  Note: The YouTube title says 2024, but this was, indeed, in 2026.

Sermon -- Pentecost (May 24, 2026)

THE HOLY SPIRIT MAKES GOD KNOWN.

ACTS 2:1-21

In the name + of Jesus.

     How do you know where to find God?  People have crafted many ideas about where and how to find God.  Some tell you to look within yourself to hear the voice of God, either through meditation or trusting your feelings.  This is appealing because we end up crafting God in our own image.  Others tell you that you can see the face of God in a newborn baby, in a homeless person, or in any stranger.  These are objects of our compassion, but they are not God.  You may be told you can find God in the beauty of creation.  If you can marvel at the grandeur of a mountain range, at the serenity of a brook, or at the vastness of space, they say, you can catch a glimpse of God.  While all created things bear witness to God’s existence, they are not God.

     God, however, has made himself known; and he tells us where to find him.  In the Old Testament, God was quite specific about this.  He spoke to Moses and told him, “(The Israelites) are to make a sanctuary for me, so that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8).  He promised that that is where the people would find him.  Eventually, King Solomon constructed a permanent dwelling for the Lord.  Once again, God gave a promise about Solomon’s Temple: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house for sacrifice.  …Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer from this place.  I have chosen and consecrated this house for my Name to be there forever.  My eyes and my heart will be there every day” (2 Chronicles 7:12,15,16).  The Lord had made it clear where he would be found.  He fixed one place where he put his name, where he would meet his people, and where he would bestow his favor upon them.

     Even though the Lord was very clear about where he would be found and how he was to be worshiped, people still proved themselves sinners and turned to their own inventive ways.  They did not come before God as he had directed.  They wanted God to be the way they thought and felt.  God had first created man in his own image.  But men became sinners and chose to craft God in their own image.  This invented god is not God.  There is no life or mercy or hope in any fabricated God.  To find those, you need to know who the true God is and cling to him.  To find God, God must reveal himself to us.  The Holy Spirit makes God known to us. 

     God is made known most vividly in Jesus of Nazareth.  He is God in the flesh.  In him, we see how God speaks and acts.  In Jesus, we see how God interacts with other people—in mercy on those in need, in patience with sinners and those slow to understand, and in diligently upholding God’s commands—both in his life and in what is expected of us.  We see it especially in his redeeming love in which he gave himself as the ransom payment for our sins.  Jesus rescued us from the consequences of approaching God according to our desires, of crafting a god who is just like us, and of living to please ourselves rather than God.  Jesus delivered us from the curse we deserve.  He bore our curse and revealed God’s blessing.  He has won our place in the kingdom of God.

     After completing his work of paying for the sins of the world and conquering death by his resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven.  So, it’s not like we can travel to one place to find Jesus and to see the face of God.  We cannot meet Jesus to receive his blessing and his benefits.  So, how does he deliver those to us?    

     In the second part of the Apostles’ Creed, we confess who Jesus is and what he has done to save us.  The Apostles’ Creed does not get to the blessings that Jesus won until we get to the Holy Spirit.  It is the Holy Spirit who imparts the blessings Jesus won.  So, our confession about the Holy Spirit includes these things: “the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.”  Jesus won those benefits, but they are delivered you to by the Holy Spirit. 

     When the day of Pentecost came, the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised was poured out upon his apostles.  The signs of his coming were obvious—the sound of a violent wind which filled a house, the flames of fire resting upon their heads, and the ability to speak in many unlearned, foreign languages.  The crowds who heard the violent wind also acknowledged the languages.  They also acknowledged the content of the apostles’ preaching: “We hear them declaring in our own languages the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11).   This is where the Holy Spirit was at work.  This is where life in God’s kingdom is given.  This is where the Holy Spirit makes God known. 

     The day of Pentecost produced a seismic shift in where God said he would be found.  In the Old Testament, God confined himself to one location where he put his name.  There, the sacrifices were made.  There, God listened to his people’s cry for mercy. The day of Pentecost changed where God would be found from one place to many places.  If God wanted to have his disciples lock into one place on earth, he would not have blessed the apostles to speak in languages which were spoken around the world.  Rather, he would have converted all the people to speak Hebrew so that they would find him in one location—his temple. 

     But now, the Holy Spirit makes God known wherever his word is preached.  Through that word, the Holy Spirit makes God known to all people.  And the Holy Spirit does more than impart knowledge.  Just knowing Bible facts does not save anyone.  Rather, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21)—whether they call upon the Lord in Hebrew, Russian, Hindi, German, or English.  God has chosen to bless all languages to carry the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  As St. Paul declared, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).  The message of Christ was given by the Holy Spirit to the apostles and prophets.  They wrote it so we can hear and read it.  The Lord does not tell us that we have to learn Hebrew or Greek if we want to know what God has to say.  Rather, God’s word has been translated into almost every language on earth so that everyone can call upon the Lord in their own native language and be saved.  Through the word, whether in Greek, Farsi, Finnish, Urdu, or even in Braille, the Holy Spirit makes God known to all people. 

     While the Holy Spirit does not draw attention to himself, you cannot get far into the Bible before you find him at work.  You have to make it to verse 2.  “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was undeveloped and empty.  Darkness covered the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2).  The Holy Spirit was connected with the waters.  The Holy Spirit plus water results in a new creation.  And isn’t that what happened to you?  When you were baptized, the Holy Spirit connected to the water made you a new creation. 

     Not only did he change your status from sinner to saint, but the Holy Spirit also took up residence within you.  As a result, you are now the temple of God.  St. Paul wrote: “Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit lives in you?  If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him.  For God’s temple is holy, and that is what you are” 1 (Corinthians 3:16-17).  So, rather than command you to go to one place where God has placed his name, such as the temple in Jerusalem, now God has put his name upon you.  God dwells in you and is with you at all times and in all places.  That means that God’s favor always rests upon you.  Your sins are continually forgiven.  Your place in God’s kingdom is certain and constant.  There is nothing for you to fear—not war or pestilence, not loss of health or wealth, not unfaithful friends or bitter enemies, not death or the devil.  You are the Lord’s and the Lord is yours.  The Holy Spirit has made all of this known to you.

     As we had considered earlier, it is not merely the knowledge of God and the Bible that saves you.  It is by faith that you are saved.  It is through faith that you receive the forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation.  And to sustain this faith, you and I gather together where the word is preached and the sacraments are administered.  This is where God is found to strengthen and sustain us in this saving faith.  In order for anything to remain alive, it needs to be nourished.  If you stop providing nourishment, whatever is living will starve and die.  Consider a bouquet of flowers.  When they are delivered to you, they look and smell beautiful.  You can put them in a vase, and that will keep them looking and smelling beautiful for a while.  But since they have been cut off from their root, it will not be long before they wither.  They dry out.  Their petals fall off.  Eventually, they are tossed in the trash.  Faith is the same. 

     St. Peter assured the Pentecost crowd, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21).  Those who do not hear the word of the Lord and who are not fed by the body and blood of the Lord will eventually stop calling upon the name of the Lord.  It does not mean they forget who Jesus is.  Knowledge won’t die, but trust in the Lord and in his promises fades and dies when it is not being nourished.  You neglect God’s word and sacrament at the peril of your faith and your salvation.  St. Paul declared, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).  That is a present tense.  Faith comes.  It continues to come and it grows and it is strengthened, because the Holy Spirit comes through the words he gave to the apostles and prophets.  That’s how he makes God known to you.  This is where God is found for your benefit.

     The Holy Spirit has enlightened you to see Jesus as your Savior.  The Holy Spirit has called you to know God as a merciful and faithful Father.  The Holy Spirit has gathered you and people from around the world with their various languages into the kingdom of God.  The Holy Spirit has set you apart from sin and death and sanctifies you for lives of godliness and holiness.  For, the Holy Spirit does not only make God known to you, he works in you the desire to live according to the word of the Lord.  In this way, the Holy Spirit also makes you known as God’s people.  Thanks to the Holy Spirit, God is known to you.  You are known to God.  God is yours.  You are God’s.  And you will be forever.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

YouTube -- Pentecost (June 8, 2025)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, June 8, 2025.

Sermon -- Pentecost (June 8, 2025)

JOHN 14:23-27

THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS.

In the name + of Jesus.

     When the day of Pentecost came, all the disciples were together in one place.  They were waiting for the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise—the coming of the Holy Spirit.  When the Holy Spirit came, they did not see him.  Of course not.  He’s a spirit.  But the Holy Spirit made himself known by signs.  There was the sound of a violent wind which blew through the place where the disciples were.  There were tongues of fire which rested upon the heads of the disciples.  And the disciples were able to speak fluently in languages that they had never learned and probably had never heard before. 

     The reading of these events is exciting stuff.  We are always eager to hear about the miracles in the Bible.  We might envy the people who witnessed them.  We might especially envy the prophets and apostles who did them.  But the miraculous signs on the day of Pentecost do nothing for you now.  Their speaking in foreign languages doesn’t benefit you.  The flames of fire do not help you.  But the Holy Spirit did grant a blessing which benefits you and the whole Christian Church to the end of time.  Jesus told his apostles, “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I told you” (John 14:26).

     This promise is significant because of the confidence it gives.  St. Paul wrote that the Church has “been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20).  Everything about our faith, our salvation, and our hope rests on Jesus Christ.  He is the rock on which the Church is built.  But Jesus never wrote a word of Scripture.  He designated the apostles to preach and to record all that he had taught.

     Critics of the Bible insist that it is a flawed book.  Since it was written by sinful men, we are told that it contains errors and contradictions.  Now, if the Bible is filled with errors and contradictions, then we have to determine what in the Bible is true.  This puts man in judgment over God’s word; we tell God what is true and what is not.  That’s bad enough.  But many more problems arise.  What about your faith?  If the Bible is in error, what can you believe with conviction?  Do each of us get to decide for ourselves what is true?  And if we all have different truths, is anything true?  In the end, you can make the Bible say whatever you want it to say.  You will expound your opinions and slap God’s name on it.  This is blasphemy because it misuses God’s name, and it is idolatry because it makes you your own god.

     Now, if Christians would have any concern about the words of Scripture, it is because we know about Jesus’ disciples.  Three times in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus rebuked them for having “little faith” (Matthew 6:30; 8:26; 14:31).  Several times, the apostles asked Jesus, “ Can you explain the parable to us?”  At least twice Jesus asked them, “Do you not understand” (Matthew 15:16; Mark 8:21)?  And now we are supposed to entrust our eternal fate upon the writings of these men?

     The answer is a definitive, “YES!”  Jesus tells us why: “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I told you” (John 14:26).  The Holy Spirit enlightened them to understand the Scriptures.  The Holy Spirit reminded them of all the words of Jesus and brought to mind all that Jesus had done.  The Holy Spirit also guided them to include in the Bible the very things God wants us to know.  Certainly, they could have added more.  St. John, at the end of his Gospel, wrote, “Jesus also did many other things.  If every one of them were written down, I suppose the world itself would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25).  But the Holy Spirit guided them to write what is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, … and is useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:15-16).  The Holy Spirit taught them all things.

     Therefore, the Gospels are not merely words about God.  They are the very words of God.  To be more specific, the entire Old and New Testaments are the very words of God.  Every word of Scripture is God-breathed, inspired by the Holy Spirit.  That means every word is true.  There are some who restrict this to only the words of Jesus.  If you have a red-letter edition of the Bible, the red letters highlight the words of Jesus.  [NOTE: If you use a red-letter edition of the Bible, you should be aware that translators debate where the words are Jesus’ words end and where the words of the apostles begin—especially in the Gospel of John.]  Some Christians focus on those red words as if they are superior to everything else in the Bible.  This is why some people issue challenges like: “Do you know what Jesus said about abortion?  Nothing!”—as if the rest of the Bible is not the word of the Lord.  Once again, man puts himself in judgment over God and God’s word.

     Let’s be sure we take the words of Jesus seriously.  He said, “The word that you are hearing is not mine, but it is from the Father who sent me.  I have told you these things while staying with you.  But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I told you” (John 14:24-26).  The Holy Spirit takes the words which Jesus received from the Father, and he delivers them to you.  The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.  Those things are taught by the apostles whom the Holy Spirit guided as he reminded them of all that Jesus said and did.  This is not only for the Gospels, but it also includes the words of the epistles.  Those also are apostolic writings.  The Gospels record the words and works of Jesus.  In the epistles, the Holy Spirit teaches the Church what is correct doctrine and what is godly living.  He also provides the motivation and strength to live it.

     The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.  So, it is important to know where we find the Holy Spirit at work.  To this day, many people look for special signs in some form or another.  In all these cases, people rely on some experience to prove that the Holy Spirit is at work, to validate their faith, and to vindicate their actions.  To link themselves to Pentecost, some claim that speaking in tongues is proof of the Holy Spirit being at work in them.  But the tongues that people claim to speak today are not the foreign languages that the apostles spoke on the day of Pentecost.  When the apostles spoke, the pilgrims who had traveled to Jerusalem from nations scattered across the Roman Empire could hear the wonders of God in their hometown language.  This is not what happens in Pentecostal churches today.  They claim to speak in tongues of angels.  Since nobody knows that language, no one can prove or disprove the claim.  The devil uses such deception to direct people to the experience I have rather than the revelation God gives.

     The events of Pentecost are striking and exciting.  So, some look for that same excitement to prove that the Holy Spirit is at work.  They see an emotional response as evidence that the Spirit is at work.  Nowhere does the Lord tell you to look to your feelings for confidence or assurance.  Emotions do not teach you anything.  And emotions can be manipulated.  In Toy Story 3 (spoiler alert), all the main characters were about to be consumed in an incinerator.  The drama, the tension, and especially the music brought many people to tears.  People wept over these computer-generated characters which are not real.  In the same way, many churches use music and drama to stir up your emotions to elicit a response.  But emotions fade.  The commitment which gets stoked up also fades with it.  The Holy Spirit is not into emotional manipulation.  The Holy Spirit is into revelation.  He proclaims a God of holiness whose holy love moved him to rescue us from the curse and control of sin.  The Holy Spirit teaches you all things about that.

     That is not to say that the Holy Scriptures won’t produce an emotional response.  When the Holy Spirit reveals the glories of the heavenly kingdom, we can become very emotional—especially if we think of a loved one who has gone on to receive that glory.  When Jesus was feasting at the home of Simon the Pharisee, a sinful woman sat at Jesus’ feet and washed his feet with her tears.  She wept for joy and thanks over the one who had set her free from her many sins.  Jesus did not stir up her emotions to get her to do something for him.  She was stirred up with emotion because Jesus proclaimed forgiveness to her.  It is in God’s word that the Holy Spirit is at work.  That is where he teaches us all things.  That is where the Holy Spirit reveals a compassionate and faithful Savior.  That is where the Holy Spirit proclaims a holy and merciful Father.  And that is why we devote ourselves “to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42).  Here, the Holy Spirit teaches you all things necessary for life and salvation.

     The Holy Spirit is the Lord and giver of life.  At the very beginning, the Holy Spirit was hovering over the waters from which the world was created.  The Holy Spirit worked through water and the word of God to produce a new creation.  That is still how the Holy Spirit works.  Through water and God’s word—that is, through baptism—the Holy Spirit creates new life and makes a new creation of people.  The Holy Spirit sustains that life through God’s word.  He breathes into you the breath of life by that word and works a godly life in you for now and for eternity.  If the word is ignored, the Spirit cannot work.  If it is spurned long enough, the Spirit departs.  And if the Spirit departs from your body, you are dead.  That is why we gather to benefit from the Spirit’s work.  He sustains us and strengthens us in the saving faith by teaching us all things necessary for life and salvation.

     The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.  He does not reveal the reason behind everything God does or does not do.  But what he does reveal gives you peace.  The Holy Spirit bestows a peace which the world does not understand, cannot offer, and cannot destroy.  The Holy Spirit reveals that, no matter what happens, Jesus has taken away your sins and has granted you a place in the heavenly kingdom.  No matter what happens, you have a good and merciful Father in heaven who delights in you.  No matter what happens, God is working all things for your eternal good.  No matter what happens, the Holy Spirit is interceding for you with groans that words cannot express.  You do not need the sound of a violent wind, a flame of fire on your head, or an ability to speak Korean to have this peace.  But you do need the word of God, and the Holy Spirit has revealed that.  He will teach you all things for your eternal good.  So, “do not let your heart be troubled, and do not let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

YouTube -- Pentecost (May 19, 2024)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, May 19, 2024.  This service includes the Rite of Confirmation.

Sermon -- Pentecost (May 19, 2024)

NOTE: The Rite of Confirmation was observed in this service.  Only one catechumen, Gage, was confirmed.

EZEKIEL 37:1-14

I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE LORD AND GIVER OF LIFE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The prophet Ezekiel preached to a nation in exile, and he was an exile with them.  Israel had been unfaithful to the Lord.  They would worship any god who promised to increase their wealth and stroke their egos.  They claimed to believe God’s word but rejected any parts they did not like.  The Lord, however, is a jealous God.  He does not compromise on his word or acknowledge any other god.  The Lord does not share his glory, and he does not excuse rebellion. 

     When the people of Israel compromised their faith, they incurred the Lord’s wrath.  The Lord sent prophet after prophet to warn the people of Israel and to call them to repent.  They were rejected, mocked, beaten, imprisoned, and some were killed.  The Lord’s patience had run out.  The Babylonians came to Jerusalem, destroyed the city, burned the temple to the ground, and killed many people.  The survivors were taken into captivity where they sat for seventy years.  The nation was as good as dead.

     The Lord offered good news for this captive people.  He gave Ezekiel a vision of dry bones scattered across a valley.  But he declared that the dead bones would have life again.  “[The Lord] said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.  Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’  Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people.  And I will bring you into the land of Israel.  And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land.  Then you shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:11-14). 

     Although the nation was as good as dead, they would live again.  The Spirit would breathe in them new life, and a vast army would return to the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It was more than a generous gesture from a gracious God.  It was done especially to preserve the promise.  The Savior would come through this nation and dwell in this Promised Land.  To keep his promise, the Holy Spirit revived the nation and restored the people.  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life.

     Ezekiel’s prophecy brought comfort and hope to a captive people, but it has been recorded for us, too.  It is more than a history lesson.  It is the image of every person who is a Christian.  This is what the Lord says about all people who enter this world: “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1-3).  All people are born captive to sin, its power, and its curse.  If you are dead in sin, there is no way for you to fix your miserable condition.  Dead people do not improve.  So it is with the sinful condition. 

     Try as you may, you can’t stop being a sinner.  It reveals itself when you hear God’s word and respond, “I don’t agree with that.  I’m not doing it.  God will have to live with it.”  Or you might say, “Why should people who follow other religions not be saved?  Who’s to say they are wrong?  Aren’t all gods the same?”  Somehow, the sinful heart is convinced that rejecting God’s word is the most loving thing you can do.  The sinful heart always finds fault with God and praises itself.  Repent.

     Remember, the Lord is a jealous God.  He is jealous for you—not to destroy or to damn you, but to redeem and to reconcile you.  He is committed to rescuing you from your miserable, sinful condition.  Since you are dead in sin, he must come to you.  The Lord must revive and restore you.  And just as God showed Ezekiel, he does!  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life.

     Ezekiel wrote, “[The Lord] led me around among (the bones), and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.  And he said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’  And I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’  Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:2-3).  By the word of the Lord being preached to those who are dead, the Holy Spirit brings forth new life. 

     What does the Lord say?  Through God’s word, the Holy Spirit reveals that the Lord is the merciful and compassionate God who loves sinners.  He demonstrated that through Jesus Christ.  God the Son came to earth as a human being to rescue all human beings from the curse of sin.  He did that by becoming a curse for us.  In obedience to his Father, Jesus took upon himself the sins of the whole world.  And in bearing those sins, he also bore the curse that came with them.  Jesus went to the cross to die under God’s wrath and to suffer the judgment that sinners deserve. 

     But just as he promised, Jesus has overcome death.  He is risen from death and shall live forever.  This living Savior is the source of life for those who were dead in sin.  Jesus has sent his Holy Spirit to grant you new life.  Those who are dead in sin live for momentary pleasures.  Since those pleasures last only a moment, they are left feeling empty and have nothing to show for it.  Others pursue worldly glory.  Most don’t get it.  Those who do bask in their own magnificence, stepping on others to achieve greater glory.  They die empty handed.  Their glory gained them nothing.

     But the Holy Spirit has breathed into you new life.  This life comes from outside of you, and your life is now directed to those who are outside of you, too.  You get married to devote your life to the good of your spouse.  You raise children, care for them, discipline them, and teach them to pray.  You use your talents and abilities to serve your neighbor.  You help those in need.  You are kind to those who are hurting.  You are patient with those who are struggling.  You do this because this is how God treats you.  The Lord and giver of life enlightens you to recognize that God is good, his word is true, and his will is best.  He has raised you up from being dead in sin and makes you live as children of God.  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life.

     Gage, a lot of this stuff was pretty new to you not too long ago.  If we’re being honest, you probably did not care much about it.  But now that you have been invested in God’s word for a few years, you have a great deal of comfort in knowing where you stand with God.  You still have lots of questions, so you don’t know everything, but you do know that God loves you.  Jesus has proved it by taking your sins away.  You don’t live under pressure of doing enough good things to make God happy.  You know that God is pleased with you because Jesus has covered you in his own righteousness.  The Holy Spirit will continue to strengthen you in this faith so that you remain a child of God forever. 

     While you will continue to grow in stature and knowledge, the Holy Spirit shows you what truly matters.  I am sure you have plans and dreams to become wise and strong and rich, but those don’t save you.  Rather, your confirmation verse will continually remind you where your hope remains: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).  This is where you find a life that lasts and a life that matters.  You believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life because he is the reason you are here.

     So, now you who were dead in sin are alive in Christ Jesus.  Eternal life has already begun for you.  Not that you are in glory yet; that is coming.  But the Holy Spirit has brought you into the kingdom of God.  Death no longer has claim on you.  Consider what St. John wrote in Revelation.  “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection!  Over such the second death has no power” (Revelation 20:6).  The first resurrection was worked by the Holy Spirit when he took you from being dead in sin and made you alive in Christ.  The second death is the eternal judgment in which those who want no part of Jesus Christ get their wish.  They are banished to an eternity without him.  They spent their lives without God—without peace, comfort, hope, mercy, and rest.  They were pleased to be dead in sin; they will be eternally dead as well.  They are worse than the valley of dry bones Ezekiel saw.

     But the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, has set you apart.  If you are alive in Christ, then death has no mastery over you.  Granted, your body will pass away because it has been corrupted by sin.  It will die and decay, just like everything else corrupted by sin.  But your soul does not die.  You go immediately to be with Jesus.  You will live and receive perfect peace, comfort, blessing, mercy, and rest.  And even though your body will be reduced to dry bones, the Holy Spirit will breathe into you again.  At the resurrection, your bones will come together.  Your body will be covered with sinews and muscle and skin.  Your soul will be rejoined with your body, and you will live.  The Lord and giver of life will raise you up to everlasting life and strength and glory.  The smart man does not know it.  The strong man cannot take it.  The rich man cannot buy it.  But the Holy Spirit gives it to you for free; for he is the Lord and giver of life.

     The vision that Ezekiel revealed to the captives of Israel seemed impossible to be true.  They were stuck in exile.  The people were resigned to live in misery and despair, never to stand in the presence of God’s house again.  But the Holy Spirit reveals God’s mercy.  It did not matter if the situation in Babylon was hopeless.  It did not matter if they nation of Israel was as dead as a valley of dry bones.  God the Holy Spirit would work through God’s word, and the word would do what it said.  The Holy Spirit resurrected the nation and restored them to God.  He does the same for you.  Those who are born dead in sin have new life as the Holy Spirit breathes into you.  He continues to breathe into you through his word.  “Faith comes by hearing the message” (Romans 10:17).  And if you keep on hearing the message, faith will continue to come and grow strong.  The Lord and giver of life will sustain you in a living faith, it will result in the resurrection to life everlasting.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

YouTube -- Pentecost (May 28, 2023)

Here is the Divine Service for Sunday, May 28, 2023.

Sermon -- Pentecost (May 28, 2023)

JOHN 7:37-39

THE HOLY SPIRIT QUENCHES OUR GREAT THIRST.

In the name + of Jesus.

      The feast at which Jesus spoke the words of our Gospel lesson was the Feast of Booths.  It was a commemoration of the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness until the Lord brought his people into the Promised Land.  The people spent the week living in Jerusalem under tents made from the boughs of various trees.  Each day sacrifices were offered at the temple.  The priest would also take a golden pitcher which was filled with water from the Pool of Siloam and pour it out at the altar.  It was a ceremony which anticipated the fulfillment of God’s word in Ezekiel 47.  There, Ezekiel was shown a vision of waters flowing from the altar of the temple.  The Lord told Ezekiel, “Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish.  For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes” (Ezekiel 47:9).  This water would grant life to the world. 

     On the last and greatest day of the Feast of Booths, Jesus was in the temple.  Perhaps he even interrupted the ceremony of the priest as he was pouring out the water at the altar.  “Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”’” (John 7:37-38).  Jesus boldly decreed this to everyone at the feast.  Jesus was saying, “This festival and this ceremony find their fulfillment in me.  I am the living water.  I am the true temple.  I am God who has come to dwell with his people.  Whoever believes in me will be saved.  Whoever thirsts for righteousness will be quenched.” 

     So, why do we thirst?  We thirst when our bodies become dehydrated.  We need water to live.  We thirst spiritually because we are lacking what we need to live in peace before God.  We lack a pure heart and the good works that spring forth from it.  God’s word tells us what a good heart is and what a good life looks like.  A good heart is pure in its motives and intentions.  It views people as someone to love, not to use.  It rejects any spirit of falsehood, jealousy, or revenge.  It does not assume evil about anyone but looks upon people with mercy and patience.  A good life puts these thoughts into action.  Because a pure heart is devoted wholly to God and his word, the pure heart will demonstrate love and kindness to all people, even to the wicked. 

     Jesus taught us, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.  For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?  Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48).  This is what a good heart does and what a good life looks like because this is what God is like.  But God’s Law shows us that we are not like God, and we are not good—certainly not as good as we like to think we are.  Repent.

     Our guilt produces our longing thirst.  It grieves us to know that we fall short of God’s goodness and that we have earned God’s judgment.  Therefore, we pant for mercy from God.  We want to escape our wretched condition.  So, we promise that we will do better, but we don’t.  We mean to, but we can’t.  We commit to being patient and honest and chaste and generous and content.  But we fall back into the same sins we have been accustomed to.  We blame others.  They drove us to it.  We blame our circumstances.  We had no choice.  We blame God.  I could keep God’s commandments better if my life were easier.  Because we fail to live up to all our promises, efforts, and intentions, our guilt only increases.  We are like people who are on an island surrounded by the ocean.  There is water everywhere, but if we consume it, it will kill us.  If we trust in our intentions to do better, it will kill us.  All our efforts only result in a greater thirst for relief. 

     Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37).  The only problem is that Jesus has ascended into heaven.  How can we go to him?  How can we drink if we cannot reach him?  Jesus addressed that with a promise.  He promised to send his Holy Spirit.  When Jesus promised, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water,” (John 7:38), he was speaking “about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive” (John 7:39).  By the Spirit, Jesus comes to us.  We hear God’s word, and through it the Holy Spirit supplies the peace and the hope we crave.  He reveals the love of the Father who sent Jesus to atone for our sins.  He reveals Jesus who suffered for our sins and died the death we deserve so that we are pardoned.  He gives us the hope of life everlasting that endures even in the face of sickness, sorrow, and death.  The Holy Spirit quenches our greatest thirst.

     Perhaps it sounds strange to hear the words in our Gospel: “As yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39).  This is not to say that there was no Holy Spirit prior to Pentecost.  The Holy Spirit is already active in Genesis 1.  And the Holy Spirit spoke through the Old Testament prophets; for all Scripture is God-breathed.  But the day of Pentecost marks a definite shift in the way God interacts with his Church.

     Prior to Pentecost, if a person wanted to be in the presence of God, he had to go to the Temple.  That is where the Lord put his name.  That is where God said he would dwell with his people.  It was limited to one place.  But now, the Bible has you consider this: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God” (1 Corinthians 6:19)?  The Holy Spirit dwells within you by faith.  He is with God’s people in all places, particularly when we gather in Jesus’ name to hear God’s word and to partake in the sacraments.

     After Jesus was glorified, the Holy Spirit was given to make each believer God’s temple.  The glory of Jesus was accomplished through his death, resurrection, and ascension.  By his death, Jesus has taken away your sins.  You are declared righteous by God for Jesus’ sake.  By his resurrection, Jesus delivers you from the power of death.  You will also be raised from the dead to eternal life.  By his ascension, Jesus reigns over all things for us.  But since he is no longer physically with us, he sends his Holy Spirit to dwell within us. 

     Jesus poured out his Holy Spirit upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost.  The apostles had the benefit of witnessing Jesus’ works and hearing Jesus’ words.  Since we do not have the same benefit, the Holy Spirit worked through these apostles who wrote down for us the words and works of Jesus.  The Bible reminds us, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).  Whenever we hear his word, the Holy Spirit is at work to create and to strengthen faith in us.  Everything we need to dwell in God’s kingdom the Holy Spirit gives in God’s word and sacraments.  By these, the Holy Spirit quenches our great thirst.

     The third article of the Apostles’ Creed confesses the Holy Spirit.  Following the Holy Spirit, we confess a series of other doctrines.  Perhaps they seem unrelated to the Holy Spirit: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.”  These are not teachings that someone tacked on to the end just to make sure they got covered.  These confess the work of the Holy Spirit who quenches our greatest thirst.

     At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit began gathering people from all nations into the Christian Church.  He draws people into communities of common confession and unites us as one.  We often need to be corrected or enlightened by the word of the Lord for this unity.  He addresses our actions, our attitudes, and our understanding of doctrine.  Through God’s word, the Holy Spirit converts minds and hearts.  He reveals truth and exposes falsehood.  Unity is established by the Holy Spirit through God’s word.  He makes us a communion of saints, creating in us clean hearts and right spirits.

     The Holy Spirit quenches our great thirst for the forgiveness of sins.  While the payment for sin was made on Mt. Calvary by Jesus, it is not delivered there.  It is delivered by the Holy Spirit.  Whether the Spirit-inspired word is preached or applied to water or to bread and wine, there the Holy Spirit is at work to bring forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation.  The Holy Spirit quenches our great thirst.

     The Holy Spirit also will carry out the resurrection of the body.  St. Paul wrote, “In (Christ) you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14).  The Holy Spirit lives in you as a deposit of the life to come.  He has worked new life in you now, making you saints of God.  And the Spirit of Life will breathe new life into your body again at the resurrection.  He will raise you up from the dead and bring you into life everlasting.  The Holy Spirit quenches our great thirst for life, and he brings us to a life that will never end.

     Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:38).  The Holy Spirit not only quenches your great thirst, but he also makes you a source of that living water when you confess God’s word.  You get to confess the comfort that you yourself have based on God’s promises of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus.  You get to declare the confidence God has given you to stand before him at the final judgment.  You get to reveal the hope that endures through all of life’s hardships.  And by your confession, you can quench the great thirst of others.  We live in a world where many are dying without hope.  Only the Lord gives it; for only the Holy Spirit can quench our great thirst and deliver God’s salvation.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

YouTube -- Pentecost (June 5, 2022)

Here is the service from Sunday, June 5, 2022.

Sermon -- Pentecost (June 5, 2022)

ACTS 2:1-21

THE HOLY SPIRIT GATHERS THE NATIONS.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The Old Testament lesson today explains how God scattered the nations.  More importantly, it explains why.  The people were determined to settle in one place and to make a name for themselves.  They committed themselves to this even though God’s command was to fill the earth and subdue it.  If the people would not willingly spread out to the ends of the earth, the Lord would force the issue.  “The Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do.  And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.  Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.’  So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city” (Genesis 11:6-8). 

     The Lord loved them too much to let them be ensnared by their sin.  Rather than let them unite against his commands, the Lord acted to break them up.  The various languages became a natural barrier between people.  Since the people could not understand one another, they would not trust one another.  They were forced to separate.  Once the people separated, the nations became even more distinct.  The divided peoples formed different vocabularies, dialects, and accents.  They developed different cultures, different diets, and different music.  The separation of the nations was a consequence of the people’s sinful intentions.  And yet, God still blessed it so that we get to enjoy a variety of ethnic foods, festivals, and traditions.

     God scattered the nations, but God still loved the world.  All the nations of the world would be blessed as God acted through one particular nation.  God chose Israel to be the people through whom the Savior of the Nations would come.  God had also chosen to dwell among the people of Israel at their temple.  That’s not to say God’s love was limited to that nation.  The land God promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was strategic.  It is at the crossroads to three continents—Europe, Asia, and Africa.  The nations came to Israel.  Traders and merchants would regularly pass through that land, and the people of Israel would give the testimony of the promises of God.  The word of God went out to the nations which had been scattered, but the house of God remained in Jerusalem.

     The day of Pentecost was a monumental change.  Pentecost was one of the festivals which God required his people to meet at Jerusalem.  There, God would meet with them to bless them.  Over time, many Jews had settled far away from the Promised Land.  We even heard the roll call of nations in the reading from Acts.  These ex-patriated Jews returned to Jerusalem for this harvest festival.  They were faithful to the covenant, but had also acclimated themselves to their new homelands—new languages, new customs, new cultures. 

     Pentecost presented a major change which astounded these Jews.  It had to do with the languages.  The language of the Old Testament was Hebrew.  The language at the temple in Jerusalem was Hebrew.  Some have even assumed that the language in heaven will be Hebrew.  But when the day of Pentecost came, the Holy Spirit was at work to gather in the nations.  Notice what the Holy Spirit did.  When the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus’ disciples, they “began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4).  When the Jewish pilgrims gathered, “they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language” (Acts 2:6).  And they confessed, “We hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God” (Acts 2:11).  The Holy Spirit gathered in the nations—not by converting everyone back to one language, but by having the Gospel heard in every language.  Salvation and forgiveness are not intended for only one people, one nation, or one language.  The Holy Spirit gathered into one Church many nations, many people, and many languages. 

     Some pilgrims at Pentecost heard the apostles speaking in different languages and assumed the worst about them.  “Others mocking said, ‘They are filled with new wine’” (Acts 2:13).  Foreign languages often sound like gibberish.  When you don’t know what someone else is saying, you become afraid.  You assume they are talking about you, perhaps even plotting against you.  It doesn’t even have to be people speaking in a foreign language.  Ask any teenage boy who walks past some girls who speak in hushed tones and then giggle, he will be convinced, “They’re laughing at me.”  Why do we conclude these things?  Because we are self-centered and think that there is nothing else they would rather talk about.  Even worse, in our self-centeredness, we conclude that we are superior to other cultures, races, languages, and nations.  We see others as people to be feared, vilified, or avoided.  Repent.

     Why are we reluctant to welcome different or foreign people?  We are unfamiliar with their language and culture.  We have a hard time understanding their accent.  It takes too much work, and we like things the way they are.  Some of our excuses are partly true.  That’s why we buy them so easily.  But understand this: It is much harder for others to come to us than it is for us to welcome them.  Yes, they have a different culture; but they are immersed in a foreign culture.  Yes, they have a different language; they are not that familiar with yours either.  (Although most are better with a second language then Americans are.)  Yes, it is hard to understand their accent; that works both ways.  Yes, it is a lot of work, but you will be richer for it. 

     The Holy Spirit gathers in the nations.  They nations may be different, but all have much in common.  All are sinners.  All are dying.  All have regrets.  All bear burdens of guilt.  All wish they could do better.  All need to know that there is mercy from God, that Jesus has taken away the sins of the world, and that there is salvation in the Christian Church alone.  Only where people meet in the name of Jesus are sins taken away—sins of cultural superiority, prejudice, and even racism.  Only through Jesus Christ do people receive the righteousness they need to escape a judgment of death and hell.  Whether that is declared in English, Spanish, Hindi, or Arabic, it needs to be proclaimed.  That is how the Holy Spirit gathers the nations.

     The day of Pentecost was shocking to the Jews for a number of reasons.  St. Peter assured them that none of it should have surprised them.  He quoted the prophet Joel who had foretold these events with particular clarity.  “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…  Even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy” (Acts 2:17,18).  The Holy Spirit would not be just for a few, but for all—regardless of race, language, sex, or age.  The Holy Spirit would be poured out to gather the nations into one Church.  For there is one Lord, one Savior, one faith, and one Church.

     The prophet Joel had foretold the events that inaugurated the last days, too.  “I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day” (Acts 2:19-20).  Surely the people would have vivid memories of the events from just 50 days earlier—the sign in the heavens as Jesus was suspended above the earth; the signs on the earth when the earth shook and the rocks split; the sun turned to darkness when Jesus was on the cross.  The great and magnificent day of the Lord came when Jesus rose from the dead!  God had kept his word.  It should not have surprised anyone.

     But the great surprise and the great change following Pentecost are where God’s people gather in his presence.  Again, quoting Joel, Peter declared, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).  Wherever the name of the Lord is proclaimed, there the Holy Spirit gathers the nations into the Church.  The Church is no longer confined to one place in Jerusalem where the priests pray and preach in one language.  The Church is in every nation, among all people, spoken in all languages.  Wherever people call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, there is where Jesus is with his Church to bless, to strengthen, to encourage, to comfort, and to save. 

     The Holy Spirit gathers the nations.  The Holy Spirit sanctified every language so that God’s word is confessed and proclaimed in all places and among all peoples.  What unites all of God’s people is not language, nationality, politics, or culture, but faith in God’s promises.  As odd as it may seem, even Russian Christians and Ukrainian Christians who are enemies under different flags remain united by faith in Christ.  The Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.

     There will probably always be a desire to have people unified in one language.  It seems like it would be easier, that people would become more trusting, and we would enjoy a more peaceful world.  It seems like it, but it would not be.  Even English speaking people don’t agree on vocabulary.  It might take our new missionary to London a little bit to learn his boot from his bonnet (trunk of car from the hood) or where to get a good spanner (wrench).  But fear not.  The Lord has never intended to make us clones with identical personalities, interests, cultures, or languages.

     The Apostle John was in Jerusalem at that first Pentecost, and he got to witness the Holy Spirit gathering the nations into the Church.  In Revelation, St. John got a vision of the end result of that work.  “I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes” (Revelation 7:9).  Even in heaven, the nations spoke with their various languages.  And like a choir’s voices blend to sound forth magnificent music, so the languages, dialects, and accents of the nations blend before the throne of God to praise him for his salvation and, one would think, of his diverse creation of peoples.

     The Holy Spirit gathers the nations.  At Pentecost he used the disciples to declare the mighty works of God’s salvation; he can also use you.  Regardless of heavy accents, stammering tongues, or limited vocabularies, let God’s word be declared and his promises be heard.  The Holy Spirit will gather in more, and the voices that praise God will increase.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

YouTube -- Pentecost (May 23, 2021)

 Here is the service from May 23, 2021.

Sermon -- Pentecost (May 23, 2021)

EZEKIEL 37:1-14

LIFE COMES THROUGH THE SPIRIT.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The prophecies of Ezekiel are usually very colorful, and the one in our reading is no exception.  Ezekiel was given a vision of bleached-out, skeletal remains, cluttered and scattered throughout a valley.  He was to proclaim the word of God to people whose remains had been reduced to bones.  But when the word of God goes forth, life returns.  The bones reassembled.  Flesh and muscle covered them.  And then Ezekiel prophesied to the Spirit which produced life in these bodies.

     The immediate fulfillment of this prophecy is given by God.  “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.  … And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land” (Ezekiel 37:11,13-14). 

     The nation of Israel was as good as dead.  They had been living in Babylonian lands for decades.  They were not guests; they were captives.  There was no hope of escape or return.  For all practical purposes, they had ceased being a nation.  What, then, would become of God’s promises?  Could a Savior come to the Promised Land when God’s people had been exiled from it?  Could life returned to God’s chosen ones?  God’s answer is: “Yes!”  He would bring Israel back to the Promised Land as if they had been raised up from the dead.  Life would come through the Spirit whose word would revive God’s people and whose work would sustain the Promise. 

     Life comes through the Spirit.  We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life.  This is what the Holy Spirit does, and it is seen already in the first verses of the Bible.  As soon as God produced the raw materials for creating the universe, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).  The Holy Spirit plus water equals new life.  When God the Father created man, he fashioned a clod of dirt.  And then “the Lord God … breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7).  God’s breath makes alive.  Life comes through the Spirit.

     When God created mankind, he made the man and the woman in the image of God.  He set people apart from every other living creature.  The animals move about and live in their animal ways.  They do not pray or worship or seek fellowship with God.  We don’t baptize or commune them no matter how cute or beloved they are.  But Adam and Eve were made to have fellowship with God.  They were given intellect, emotions, and a will which were all in full agreement with God.  They rejoiced to know God and to live according to God’s word.  They were not only physical beings, but also spiritual beings, and their spiritual life was given and sustained by the Holy Spirit.

     But the image of God has been ruined by sin.  Rebellion against God’s word is also rebellion against the Spirit who reveals it.  Once mankind fell into sin, the nature of all people was corrupted and, in fact, dead.  People are still both physical and spiritual beings.  People still maintain intellect, but now each one’s intellect focuses in on himself.  Our own thoughts and schemes are for our own glory and gain, often at the expense of our neighbor.  Identity thieves are not stupid people; rather they use their skills wickedly.  People still are created with emotions.  In fact, if you want to get people to agree to wicked behavior, appeal to their emotions.  Emotions always seems to trump God’s word, because our emotions control us rather than we controlling them.  That is why calling people “haters” is so effective.  This accusation appeals to emotions rather than to doctrine.  And while we maintain a will, it is also self-serving.  We often hide our self-centered motives behind the banner of personal freedom.  We get to do what we want because we can, and no one dare forbid us!  None of these things are the image of God.  All these things are the result of buying the devil’s lies that sin makes us free.  But what sin makes us free from is God’s love, God’s wisdom, and God’s kingdom.  The devil’s freedom means that we are captives of guilt, shackled to death, and sentenced to hell.  What the devil sells as freedom is a death sentence from which we cannot escape.  Like the Jews in Babylon, we have no hope of returning to life in the image of God. 

     Like the Jews in Babylon, our only hope comes by God’s word to us and by God’s work for us.  Life comes through the Spirit, and with that life comes this blessing: “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection!  Over such the second death has no power” (Revelation 20:6).  The first resurrection is that you are no longer dead in sin.  You have been rescued from the condition which binds you to guilt, shame, death, and damnation.  Hell cannot have you.  The curse has been taken away by Jesus who suffered hell for you, who died under God’s curse in your place, and who destroyed death and the devil at his resurrection.  This is what the Spirit has revealed to you through God’s word.  And by this word, the Holy Spirit revives you with new life and restores you as a new creation.

     We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life.  Life comes through the Spirit, but the Spirit does not work apart from the word of God.  No one comes into the kingdom of God by being zapped into it.  The Holy Spirit always works through God’s word, just as he did in Ezekiel’s vision.  “Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy, to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.’  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:9-10). 

     This is how it works for you, too.  The Holy Spirit inspired the prophets and apostles to pen the word of God.  Through this God-breathed word, the Spirit breathes life and faith in people.  This is the first resurrection—God comes to those who were dead in sin and makes the alive in Christ Jesus.  This life is given not only by the word preached, but also by the word applied with water in holy baptism.  Jesus declared, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:5-6).  Just as it was with the creation of the world, so it is when God makes a new creation of sinners: The Holy Spirit plus water equals new life. 

     Life comes through the Spirit.  The word is preached.  The Spirit goes forth.  The Spirit who breathed the word into the prophets and the apostles breathes from those words into the hearts, souls, and minds of people.  He applies the forgiveness of sins won by Jesus and pardons all sins of wicked intellect, emotional outbursts, and self-centered will.  He, then, begins your transformation back to the image of God.  He transforms your mind so that your intellect submits to the word of God.  Through the Holy Spirit’s work, you recognize that your emotions do not determine what is true, but God’s word does.  The Spirit also puts to death the will that is controlled by sin and produces in you a will that delights in God’s will.  This is the new creation and the new life that the Holy Spirit works in you.

     Life comes through the Spirit.  Life is sustained by the Spirit.  This is what the Lord says: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).  This is a present tense verb.  It is not merely that faith once came to you by hearing the word of Christ; it is that faith continues to come to you by hearing the word of Christ.  The breath of God comes to you through the God-breathed words of Scripture.  When breathing ceases, life ceases.  In other words, if you do not continue to hear the word of God, faith will eventually expire.  It is like the astronauts from Apollo 13.  They lost their oxygen tank, so the oxygen levels in their craft got low.  If they had not returned to earth quickly, eventually they would have become light-headed until they just slipped away into unconsciousness, and then into death.  They knew of the danger because the gauges were telling them the problem.  But if they had remained unaware, they may not have noticed a problem until it was too late.  So also, people who stop hearing the word of God fall into a spiritual apathy.  They don’t notice it; eventually, they do not care.  Their bodies are alive, so everything seems fine.  It will not be until the final judgment that they will realize their bare knowledge of Bible facts will not save them.  Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ.  Through that word, the Spirit continues to come and to keep faith alive.  This is what the Church gathers for.  If Christians stop coming to church, it is a valid fear that they are slipping away and their faith is dying.  These are serious matters, and we should all be concerned about them.

     Life comes through the Spirit.  It culminates in everlasting life in the kingdom of heaven.  Of course, we are not there yet.  Eventually, you will pass away from this world.  Your spirit will not die; for you have already partaken in the first resurrection.  The body, however, will die, decay, and be reduced to dry bones.  “Son of man, can these bones live” (Ezekiel 37:3)?  And the Spirit says, “Yes!”  He will fulfill what was prophesied by Ezekiel.  “Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people.  …And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land” (Ezekiel 37:12,14).  On the Last Day, the Lord Jesus will return in glory.  The voice of God will summon all people from their graves.  The bones will be rejoined.  Flesh will cover them.  Body and soul will be reunited. 

     Life comes through the Spirit.  Just as the Lord gave breath and life to the first holy people on earth, so he will raise you up and restore breath and life in you.  You will be given the perfected bodies that you crave.  You will not only live without blemishes or impairments, you will also live without shame, regret, or frustration.  You will be fully restored to the image of God, free to live and to serve him without any weakness, fault, or struggles.  For, the Lord will confirm you in holiness.

     As God’s word is proclaimed, God’s Spirit goes forth.  As God’s Spirit goes forth, new life is given, is sustained, and increases.  Apart from the breath of God, there is no life.  But God-breathed Scripture will guard and keep you.  By it, the Holy Spirit will sustain your new life, now and for all eternity.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.