Sermon Index
The Holy Spirit makes us holy. This is the work of the third member of the Holy Trinity. Yes, of course it is the death of Jesus on the cross that forgives our sins, but it is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring that wonderful Gospel message to us and create faith in our hearts. The work of the Holy Spirit is to make us holy.
What does the word gholyh mean? It means pure and clean and is related to the English words ghealthyh and gwholesome.h In the Old Testament, the word gholyh means that something is special and separated from other things. It means that something is special to God and so is removed from everyday things of this world. gHolyh means that something belongs to God. Godfs Book is the Holy Bible. The special fellowship meal with God is Holy Communion. The Holy Temple is Godfs Temple. The Church is holy because it is Godfs people. Baptism is holy because it is God working to save people. Saints, or holy men and women, are people connected to God. The work of the Holy Spirit is to make us holy, and this is important because we are not holy, we are sinful and far away from God and salvation.
The first mention of the Holy Spirit in the Bible is in the first verses of Genesis Chapter One. gIn the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.h God created a wonderful, beautiful, holy world. g31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.h But because of sin, this world had become evil. So the Creator Spirit had to work again to create new hearts within his creatures.
What did the Holy Spirit find when he came down on the disciples on that Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus rose from the grave? He found that the wonderful world he had created was evil. Pollution and erosion and ecological destruction were just signs of the sinful greed and violence and ignorance of people. Murder, theft, arrogance, disrespect, unfaithfulness were just signs of a deeper problem. Fear, anxiety, mistrust and betrayal were just signs of the real problem that only the Holy Spirit could solve. The problem was that people were not holy.
The Holy Spirit makes us holy by connecting us to God. People are far away from God. This is why there is violence and disrespect and unfaithfulness and fear in the hearts of people. There is no stability. People are on their own without God. People are trying to stay alive the best they know how without the help of God. This is why ethics and morals are forgotten when they get in the way of what people want to do. When things are done without God, they are not holy.
And so it is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring people to God. The Holy Spirit connects us to God. The Holy Spirit reveals to us the love of God. The love of God is shown in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To make us holy, the Holy Spirit brings us that love.
Now, the Holy Spirit does not sit up in heaven and zap us as we walk down the street, like sending a thunderbolt at us. The Holy Spirit does not send us an email or text message or twitter message saying gYou are now saved! Hallelujah!h The Holy Spirit is not far removed from us. Pentecost is the story of how the Holy Spirit came down to this earth to be close to us. The Holy Spirit came close so that we could hear and believe the Gospel. On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the disciples and gave them not only tongues of fire over their heads, but tongues in their mouths that would proclaim the Holy Word of God. The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God. This the spoken word in the sermon and liturgy and Bible classes, and it is the word which is proclaimed in the holy sacraments.
And that Word of God first reveals that we are not holy. It reveals our sin and our need of salvation. It reveals that the world is evil, that our hearts are evil, and that this evil situation will continue forever unless we become holy. That is, unless we believe in the Gospel that tells us that our sin is forgiven through Jesus Christ.
We are not holy because we live holy lives. We are not holy because of what we do or do not do. If that were the case, then the Holy Spirit is not necessary. But the Holy Spirit makes us holy. It is through the love of God that accepts us as his own. It is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who forgives our sin. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit who leads us to faith. It is through baptism that washes us and makes us a new creation.
Therefore, we are Godfs people. Therefore we are holy. Then because we fear and love God, we live lives that are pleasing to God. It is this love that makes us want to live lives that are decent and pure. Then we are led by the Holy Spirit.
On this Pentecost Sunday, we pray that the Holy Spirit will descend up on us, and fill our hearts with love and peace and joy and boldness and power.
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church