.png)
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4
I remember many years ago one day when I was doing some yard work. I gathering a bunch of dead branches and put them into a pile to burn (yes, we could do that!). I struggled to get the wood to light, so I decided the smart thing to do would be to pour some gasoline on it and toss in a match. That should work, right?
Well, as you can imagine, I learned the hard way – you don’t light gasoline with a match! Ever! Thankfully, I wasn’t hurt, but the explosion was hot enough to melt the hairs on my hand and teach me a lesson. Gasoline is dangerous! But it is also powerful – as we know it can move two-ton automobiles down the road easily with the internal combustion engine.
This Sunday we commemorate Pentecost, or the coming of the Holy Spirit as we read in Acts chapter 2. Jesus had promised to the disciples that he would send a helper, an advocate, the spirit of truth. His spirit would be a comforter and a companion. When it came, it came with wind and fire – with power!
Lutherans sometimes shy away from talking a lot about the Holy Spirit, perhaps afraid to be labeled Pentecostals! Martin Luther battled the “enthusiasts” in his day whom he felt downplayed the role of Christ in favor of a more spirit led religion, in which some had even claimed the Holy Spirit speaking through them superseded God’s written Word. Luther would have none of this.
Some of that controversy has stayed in our DNA as Lutherans, and as a result, I worry sometimes we may be losing out on the fullness of the gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus’ intended for us. Luther himself wasn’t opposed to the Holy Spirit, he just wanted to make sure that we knew that the Spirit did not contradict scripture, and that it was our faith in Jesus that saves us, not some spiritual experience of sanctification. The Spirit points us to Jesus!
As a Lutheran, I do believe the Holy Spirit is a gift, and is at work in us every day. In baptism we are given a promise of the Holy Spirit, which gives us life anew – and a fire for God! It is God living within us, helping guide us to live our lives for God.
I believe we can feel God’s spirit at work in our hearts – convicting us of sin, directing and teaching us in the ways of truth in God, and empowering us to do God’s will. Just as I learned a lesson about fire that day in the yard, God’s spirit can convict us of sin and protect us from harm, especially as we read God’s Word and gather to worship him.
This Sunday, as we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, take some time to reflect on how God’s spirit is at work in your life.
In Christ;
Pastor Dan
Special Announcements:
Installation Service – Sunday, June 2nd at 10:00 a.m. Pastor Alan Peacock, the Dean of the Sonshine Mission District of the NALC, will be our special guest to officially install Rev Dan Baker as our pastor. Other pastors and guests and friends of the congregation are invited to come and share in the service. There will be a special reception following in the Fellowship Hall.
—
LIKE us on FACEBOOK!
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557676015476
FOLLOW us on INSTAGRAM
https://www.instagram.com/felcpastor1/
WATCH us on YOUTUBE
https://www.youtube.com/@firstlutheranchurchwestpal7401
