Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Veni Creator Spiritus

 


God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My sermon is entitled The Holy Spirit in Scripture, Christ and Church. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Thirty-six years ago, on May 23, 1987, I was one of five men ordained at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While the ordained laid hands on us and prayed, the congregation sang Veni Creator Spiritus or Come, Creator Spirit. This hymn is often sung on Pentecost to mark the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church, as Jesus promised. Years later, as you heard in my prayer, I still ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. Today, I examine the Spirit and Scripture, Christ, and the Church.

First, the Spirit and Scripture. The word spirit comes from the Latin spīritus meaning breath. Spirit is the force or principle of life that animates the body of living things. It can also mean temperament, liveliness or mood. We got spirit. Yes, we do. We got spirit. How bout you?

In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God is present in at least three ways. First, the Spirit of God is present in creating the world and sustaining life. The Bible’s second verse reads, “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

The Spirit of God is also present in history, using a rebellious Israel to reveal God’s redemptive purpose. In Psalm 106, we read how Israel angered God and troubled Moses by the waters of Meribah, for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips (32-33).

Finally, the Spirit of God is present in individual believers. For example, in Ezekiel we read, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (36:26-27).

The Chaldean King, Belshazzar, recognized that the Spirit in Daniel enabled him to interpret dreams (Dan 5; 10). Finally, the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed God’s promise. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (31:33). In short, the Spirit of God has always been active. It is that Spirit Jesus promised to send to the Church. My second point, the Spirit and Christ.

You may be aware that over the next several weeks, we will celebrate Pentecost and Holy Trinity Sundays. The readings chosen for these last weeks of Easter purposefully point towards the power of the Spirit which Christ and His Father promised to send. Since we spend so little time focusing on the Holy Spirit, we should reacquaint ourselves.

Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is God. He is not an it. He is not a divine influence or a fleecy white cloud, a ghost or concept. He is a Person possessing a will, intellect and emotions. He is God – with all the deity’s attributes. He is the Third person of the Trinity – co-equal with God the Father and God the Son.

Why did the Holy Spirit come? Could we not follow the Law and Gospel without a Helper? It seems to me the Holy Spirit meddles too much. After all, the Church of the East and West never agreed on the exact wording of the Nicene Creed because of the Holy Spirit. Some ministers never preach about the Holy Spirit, preferring to talk only about Jesus Christ. So, why do good and proper Christians need the Holy Spirit? Because the Holy Spirit enables me to know Christ.

The Holy Spirit enables me to know Christ and gives me the power to live and share the abundant life that Jesus promised to all who trust and obey Him. I cannot live this abundant life apart from the help of the Holy Spirit for the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, all qualities of the abundant life (Gal 5:22).

Yet, people deny the Holy Spirit. In fact, not long after the Church penned the Nicene Creed and settled the Arian controversy, another sect declared the Holy Spirit inferior to the Father and Son. Fortunately, theologians like Basil the Great defended the deity of the Holy Spirit. Basil cited not only the words of Jesus, who taught that sin against the Holy Spirit is unpardonable (Mt 12:31=32), but also the Acts of the Apostles where Satan filled the heart of Ananias who lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4).[1]

Sadly, today there are numerous nontrinitarian denominations including Christian Scientists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Quakers or Friends, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Unitarian Universalists.[2] This is not to say that they are bad people, but we must be clear about our beliefs and teachings regarding the Holy Spirit. My third point, the Spirit and the Church.

The orthodox teachings of Martin Luther remind us that the Holy Spirit empowers the church to perform its mission. Without the Spirit, could the first followers of Jesus remember his words and deeds? Could they read the Law and Prophets through the prism of His Paschal Mystery? In other words, the Spirit inspired writers to remember how Christ fulfilled Scripture. Those who followed Jesus, saw Him die and witnessed Him alive passed on the Good News. Today, that good news is announced to you. You are saved through Christ.

The Spirit brings us into a saving relationship with Christ. Think how powerful a force the Holy Spirit is – that we know the story of a man born 2,000 years ago. To put that force into perspective, consider that 100 years after you draw your last breath, 100 years after your spirit is gone, no one will remember you. Your great-great grandchildren will not know your name or know your favorite ice cream flavor. Wanna bet? Name your 16 great-great grandparents. Now, name their favorite ice cream.

I say that because most of the time we do not remember those who have gone before us, but next Monday, on Memorial Day, we remember those who died fighting for our nation. With that, a personal story.

Most people never heard of Private First Class Leonard F. Cwynar. I never met my Uncle Leonard, eldest son of John and Helen Cwynar. The War Department declared him dead on the Anzio Beachhead during Operation Shingle, the costliest battle of the Second World War. I say ‘declared dead’ because not enough remains were left to identify Leonard. He was one of 67,000 Allied casualties. The enemy suffered 25,000 casualties. Actors Audie Murphy and James Arness survived.

We have no pictures of Leonard, but we have his letters. This is his last – written to my grandparents on March 10, 1944 from the Anzio Beachhead in Italy.

Dear Mom & Dad, … Just dropping you a few lines to let you know that I am in fine health. I feel better today than I have for quite a while. I wasn’t sick, just plain tired. Will you please say hello to all my friends cause I don’t have time to write them. Thank Mrs. Weigel for the card she sent me. Tell Weigels, Ewings, Hollisters, and Red I said hello. I miss all the folks at home and will be glad when it’s over.

I didn’t hear Roosevelt’s Christmas Eve speech … I’m running out of words and paper so until my next letter, So long and God Bless You. … Love, Leonard.

I can read you Uncle Leonard’s last letter because my grandparents, father and uncles loved and remembered him. I can read you Scripture, God’s letters, because the first followers of Jesus loved and remembered Him. … Love, the power of the Holy Spirit, enables the Church to remember and present Christ as active and alive in every continent and culture for 21 centuries.

The Holy Spirit also empowers us to share how Christ is active in our lives. … You would not have heard of PFC Leonard Cwynar if I had not talked about him. You would not know Christ if His first followers had not talked about Him. The Gospel requires both preachers and listeners. Will Christ be remembered if you do not share what He did for you? In a word, no. So, what prevents you from sharing your faith?

Memorial Day reminds us no ordinary soldiers sacrificed supremely. Only extraordinary soldiers. The promise of the Holy Spirit reminds us no ordinary Christians sacrifice supremely for the Gospel, only extraordinary Christians.

For me, the last 36 years have been extraordinary. Every chance I get to preach God’s Word is extraordinary. Likewise, your chance to live an extraordinary Christian life is right before your eyes. All you have to do is believe the power of the Holy Spirit is present in the ordinary moments of life. All you have to do is share with your family how the Spirit is active and alive in you. Then, 70 or 150 years after your spirit leaves your body, people will remember you as the most extraordinary Christian whoever lived and loved.

On Memorial Day, honor those who sacrificed their lives by sharing the Gospel. Honor those who shared the Gospel with you by remembering them. Thank them and thank God for them. When you do, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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