Many thoughts shamelessly borrowed from Norman Nagel, Augustine of Hippo, and
David Petersen... with my apologies.
Rev. Charles Lehmann + Cantate + John 16:5-15
In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Alleluia!
The Holy Trinity is a mystery. It is not a mystery because God has hidden
Himself from us. He is not secretive and isn't trying to keep us in the dark
about what sort of God He is. And we don't say that the Trinity is a mystery
because God's identity is something that can only be pondered by theologians
and pastors in dusty old libraries. The Holy Trinity is a mystery because of
our sin. If we were not sinners, the mystery of God would be revealed. The
scales that cover our eyes and keep us from reveling in the true nature of God
would be gone.
But the Trinity is a mystery because in our fallen natures we could never
imagine God being the way that He actually is. To our eyes blinded by sin, the
way God reveals Himself looks like foolishness. During the season of Lent in
particular, we meditate on the foolishness of the cross. It is foolishness
that Jesus Christ, the Man who is in His very nature God, would die for those
who hate Him. It is foolishness that the Father would desire to kill His
innocent Son rather than punish those who actually deserve the Father's eternal
wrath on account of their sin. This is all foolishness to us because we are
sinners. We do not think as God thinks. We do not view the world as He does.
Our way of reason and judgment is self-serving. Even at our best we tend to
work out things to benefit our wealth or at least our reputation. The
self-giving and self-sacrificing love that moves God to send His Son to die so
that we might live is foreign to our
fallen, sinful flesh.
But what is foreign and nonsenscial to us is not foreign or nonsensical to
God. What makes our jaws drop in wonder is the only reality that the Holy
Trinity is willing to contemplate. But the outrageous self-giving love and
humility of the Holy Trinity does not end with God the Father or even with His
Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
God the Holy Spirit is just as self-giving in His love as the other persons
of the Trinity are. And so Jesus says the following about Him in today's
Gospel reading. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the
truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he
will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will
glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the
Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare
it to you.”
If it sometimes appears that the Holy Spirit is ignored in the Church, it
is in these words of Jesus that we learn the reason why. The Spirit is heard
whenever and wherever Christ is heard. Jesus says, “Whatever [the Spirit]
hears He will speak.” And, a few lines later, “[The Spirit] will glorify Me,
for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.” The Holy Spirit is true
God and can do whatever He desires to do. He has all the divine authority that
the Father and the Son have. The Spirit is no less true God than they are.
But listen to what Jesus says about the Spirit. The Spirit does not speak His
own words or on His own authority.
The Spirit receives all that He speaks from Jesus just as Jesus receives
all that He speaks from the Father. The Gospel of John makes this point over
and over. It paints a picture of a humble and Triune God which is perfectly
united in one purpose. The Father sends the Son to proclaim the Father's word
and to offer Himself on the cross to win salvation for all the world. The Son
is the very Word of the Father and is made flesh to redeem those who are born
into the flesh. The Son sends the Holy Spirit to speak His Words to all people
so that they might receive faith.
By creating faith in our hearts, the Spirit gives us back to the Son and
the Son, having washed us clean with His blood, gives us back to the Father.
Nowhere in the Triune God's work for our salvation does He seek His own good.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit never consider divine needs before human ones.
All that God does, He does for you. All that the Trinity works, He works
for you. And in this work Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are perfectly united in
love and in their gracious will toward you. It should not surprise us then to
see that the Spirit is utterly unconcerned about getting the credit or being
praised for the work that He does. The Spirit is not interested in speaking
about Himself. The Spirit is interested in saving all who hear the Word He
speaks about Christ. He is interested in pointing people not toward Himself,
but toward the cross. He is interested in making sure that all people receive
the gifts that Christ has won for them.
And so we should not spend time worrying about whether our worship is
spiritual enough. We should not be concerned that the Holy Spirit will feel
slighted if He doesn't get particular mention in every service. The Holy
Spirit delights in working through means. The Holy Spirit delights in helping
God's people focus on their Savior.
Every time the Word of God is spoken, heard, or preached, the Holy Spirit
is speaking. Every time your sins are forgiven, the Holy Spirit is
accomplishing just what He was sent to do. If you look through our service in
the hymnal, you'll find lots of bible passages in the margins. Sometimes these
are the passages that that part of the service is based upon, but most of the
time these are the passages that are being directly quoted in the liturgy.
Our services are filled from beginning to end with the Word of God and
since they are filled with the Word of God they are also filled with the Holy
Spirit and His work for you.
If we want to know what the Spirit is doing, we need only to listen to the
words that Jesus speaks about Him. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will
guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but
whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are
to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to
you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what
is mine and declare it to you.”
The Spirit has taken all that belongs to Christ and He has declared it to
you. So, what is that? Jesus says that all that belongs to the Father is His,
and then He says that all that is His has been taken by the Spirit and declared
to you.
When the Spirit speaks, God is speaking. And when the Spirit declares all
things that He has taken from Christ to you, He declares that they are yours.
All of creation and every good gift that you can possibly imagine belong to you.
Ours is not a faith that seeks to depart from the world for something
immaterial that is better than created things. Ours is a faith that says that
the world that is now broken will be restored. Ours is a faith in which our
Savior says, “Behold, I make all things new!” Jesus has suffered and died on
the cross to forgive your sins and destroy the power of death forever. When He
returns you and all of creation will be restored. Those who are in Christ will
live forever in a world that is free from all pain, all sorrow, and all tears.
But there is no reason to believe that it will be lacking in any good created
gift you have enjoyed in this life.
You will dance, you will feast, and you will enjoy all the good gifts of
creation that the Spirit is declaring to you now. You will sing with a voice
more beautiful than has ever been heard. Your sins that are now forgiven will
be destroyed forever, and all of this comes to you now because of what the
Spirit is doing. He has taken all things from Christ and declared them to you.
The benefits of Christ's suffering and death on the cross are yours. Death
is destroyed, and sin is forgiven. In the resurrection of Christ we see the
firstfruits of what you will receive.
Rejoice, people loved by God. Your sins are forgiven and you are free.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Alleluia!
In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and
minds in faith in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Rev. Charles R. Lehmann
Pastor, Saint John's Lutheran Church, Accident, MD
http://www.stjohncove.org
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