Pentecost 2006
Pentecost, 150 School Anniversary, Graduation
John 7:37-39
June 4, 2006
“We’ve Got the Spirit”
Introduction: “We’ve got spirit! Yes we do! We’ve got spirit! How ‘bout you?” I remember this cheer being chanted at my high school and college basketball games. Sometimes it was lead by the cheerleaders, of whom I was one, and sometimes it was started by a group of fans called the “Bleacher Creatures.” They always got the crowd going. We still hear that chant today don’t we? The point of this cheer is that “spirit” is needed to lead a team to victory.
In the church, a special kind of “spirit” is needed to lead Christ’s Church, in proclaiming the message of salvation through the cross of Jesus Christ. That is the Holy Spirit of God, which he graciously grants to his church. We have that Spirit, the Sprit of God.
Fifty days after Jesus Christ’s resurrection, His disciples were gathered for worship in Jerusalem. Luke writes, Acts 2:1-4 “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit...
From Pentecost on, the Holy Spirit has continued His work through Christ’s Church, the Apostolic Word and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. This is what we confess when we believe and confess the words of Luther’s Small Catechism, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.”
So who has the Spirit? We have the Spirit, yes we do! The Apostle Paul teaches us about the Sprit’s work in us. First he tells us what our Spirit is not. Writing to Timothy he says, “God did not give us a sprit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self discipline (2Tim 1:7). The Bible tells us that Timothy was young, but none the less God called Him to be a pastor. Perhaps, sometimes the challenges seemed overwhelming to young Timothy. Perhaps he lacked confidence. But Paul emphasizes that such timidity does not come from God. God wants His servants, His Church to take on the ministry of spreading the Good news of Jesus Christ to all people. God gives us His Spirit that enables us to do it, ‘a Spirit of power, of love, and of self discipline.”
We have the Spirit, yes we do! What is our Spirit? It is the Spirit of power. What is this power that God has given to His church, given to each and every one of us? Paul identifies it with the Gospel, he writes, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace…(1 Tim. 1:8-9). He echoes this thought when he said, “Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
This was the power of God that settled on Peter and the believers in that first Pentecost. Peter immediately begins boldly preaching, “Acts 2:22-24 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know- this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. Acts 2:21 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'”
God’s Gospel is indeed a great power because it accomplishes the most miraculous act of all – the salvation of sinners. In fact the Greek word for “power” is dynamis, from which we get the English word dynamite. Yet neither the power of dynamite nor that of a nuclear explosion can compare to the supernatural power of the Gospel. The glorious Power that the Holy Spirit gives His Church is the message that God has reconciled sinners to Himself through Jesus Christ and His death on the cross.
We have the Spirit, yes we do? What is that Spirit? It is not only the Spirit of power, it is the Spirit of love. Paul tells Timothy that God gives His servants a spirit of love. This love comes from God, God is its source. The Lord of love is the giver of love. What a self-giving love that is! He doesn't hold back, but generously pours out His love on us in Christ. John writes: "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us-, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3: 1). This is the love that God has given us. His love overflows through us to others. In my final years at the Seminary many of our instructors, wanting us to succeed in the pastoral ministry, would tells us the most important thing was to Love your people. You may be a great preacher or you may not be. You may be agreat organizer or you may not be. To truly succeed…Love your people. This in turn I share with you, Love each other. Love each other. Love each other. As the apostle John puts it, "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Christians are given this spirit of love so that they can become instruments of God's love to others, to their brothers and sister in Christ and to all people, whether they believe or not.
We have the Spirit, yes we do! What's Our Spirit? It is the Spirit of power, love and it is a Spirit of Self discipline. Paul says that God has given us not only a spirit of power and of love, but also a spirit of self-discipline. The demands and expectations of the Christian life require self discipline. Certainly God calls us to live morally correct lives. God’s Spirit guides us to live righteous lives. But there is more to self discipline than just right living. It also has something to do with how we establish and run our local congregation and how we proclaim the Word of God. Over 150 years ago our church was founded. Today we continue to celebrate the foundation of Immanuel Lutheran School. The building of these organizations didn’t happen in some haphazard way, by random chance or coincidence. It took hard work, determination and self discipline. Just like a carpenter carefully plans and builds a structure, making sure it’s foundation is straight, taking care of the building materials and applying the right craftsmanship, it is important for us apply the same discipline as we plan what we do and how we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are rooted in history. Over a hundred and fifty years God has used this church and school to proclaim His Good news in Jesus Christ. While we are rooted in history, we are now the living branches of Christ’s Church basking in the sunshine of his grace and swaying in the wind for all the world to see, that Jesus our Savior might be seen in this generation. God has an agenda and purpose for our congregation. For His purpose to be fulfilled He has given us a Spirit of self discipline. We must always recognize that this self-discipline is not something that we muster by our own resources. It is a gift of God.
We have Spirit, yes we do! And what Spirit is it? It is the Holy Spirit of God! It is not our spirit It is not the spirit of enthusiasm and cheering and chanting. It is not a feeling of excitement that builds us up leading us to win the game. No it is God’s Spirit. It is the Spirit that He bestowed upon us at our baptism. It is the Spirit that God promises to all Christians called into Christ’s church. It is the Holy Spirit that came upon our Christian brothers and sisters in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. It is the Spirit that boldly moved them to proclaim Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen from the dead. This Holy Spirit of God guided our ancestors to come to this rich and fertile land, led them to found this holy church of God and our Christian day school. Now that same Spirit goes out with our graduating class of eight graders as they will face the world, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, stand strong in their faith and make a bold witness to Jesus Christ.
We Christians have been given the joyful privilege of proclaiming to others the incomparable ways of the exalted God, who loves us and gave His son for us. Grounded in God's grace and a spirit of self-discipline aligned with God's agenda we will be here another 150 years, and graduating another group of men and women, so that we will continue to proclaim and confess the saving name of Jesus Christ. And all this done by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Amen.
