A special day and a great gift

I want to write to you today about a special day that is full of fireworks, loud crescendos, and the birth of something really special.

That sounds a lot like the 4^th of July, doesn’t it? But, no, I am not going to write about the 4^th of July today. If I were to write about the 4^th of July, I would say this. I love America. I celebrate the exceptionalism of the American spirit. I am thankful for the brave patriots who sacrificed to give us our freedoms and those who continue to secure our freedoms. I am thankful to God for the privilege to live here in this great land. And I would ask God again to bless America. Amen! And Amen!

And yes, the day I am writing about here is also full of fireworks, loud crescendos, and the birth of something really special. This day is one of the high festival days on our church liturgical calendar. It is not Christmas or Easter, but it is no less important.

The day I bring to your attention today is the Day of Pentecost. It was on our liturgical calendar a couple months ago on a Sunday, which was fifty days after Easter, just as the first Christian Pentecost was fifty days after Jesus actually rose from the dead. Pente-cost gets its name from these fifty days.

Maybe you know that Pentecost was a Jewish agricultural festival ahead of being known for what we’ll cover here.

Our story is recorded in Holy Scripture (Acts 2). Here’s a very quick re-telling. Jesus had promised that He would send His Holy Spirit upon and into hearts of His disciples. He had told them how important this would be and how wonderful this would be (John 14 and 15).

Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven. He returned to His Father. Then, ten days later, when the disciples were gathered together, the “fireworks” started. They looked around the room and saw a tongue of fire on each of their heads. And the rush of a mighty wind was in crescendo all around them.  And it resulted in the birthday of The Church. More about that in just a few more paragraphs. And so it happened on Pentecost that the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples and to The Church.

Here’s where I need to ask the Preacher’s Question. What does this mean for us today? Right here and right now?

Here is my answer. It means that, just as the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) was given into the hearts of the disciples on that first Pentecost, so it has been given into the hearts of all those holding to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It has been given into our hearts.

Now, here’s where you need to ask the Hearer’s Question. What does the Holy Spirit give to me?

Here is your answer. It is a great gift!

The Holy Spirit gives you The Gift of FAITH. 1 Corinthians 12:3 says, “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Martin Luther wrote, “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, and sanctified and kept me in the one true faith.” (Small Catechism, Apostles Creed, Explanation to the Third Article)

This all affirms that we could not believe in God, we could not believe in Jesus as our Savior, we could not have the faith that carries us through life’s ups and downs if we did not have the gift of the Holy Spirit. What a great gift!

The Holy Spirit gives you The Gift of FAMILY. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the Birthday of The Church, the “Communion of Saints” (Apostles Creed, Third Article). The Church is The Family of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are The Church, we are sons and daughters of God together in The Church.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are also brothers and sisters with one another in The Church. We are joined together. We are connected with one another.  We are F-A-M-I-L-Y. We are The C-H-U-R-C-H.

The children’s song goes, “I am The Church. You are The Church. We are The Church together. All who follow Jesus, all around the world. Yes, we’re The Church together.” That means across denominational lines. That means denominational churches and non-denominational churches. Get the picture? I hope so. What a great gift!

The Holy Spirit gives you The Gift of your FUNCTION. We learn in Acts 2 that Peter and the other disciples went out into the streets and proclaimed the mighty acts of God. They told everybody that Jesus was from God, that He came to live among us, that He died and rose again for the salvation of all mankind. The Good News they knew and believed was too good to be kept to themselves. They had to share it. And share it. And share it.

And so it is with us. The Holy Spirit has given us that same function, to proclaim the mighty acts of God. We are empowered to tell everybody the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Please note that this is not just the job of the preacher, the pastor. Yes, we  pastors proclaim this over and over in sermon after sermon. But every Christian is Holy Spirit filled. Every Christian is empowered to share the love of God in Christ Jesus. I encourage you to take the Holy Spirit’s power that is in your heart and put it to work in your life to tell The Story. What a great gift!

So, I hope you had a great 4^th. I hope you celebrated the greatness of America. But I also hope you will ponder the even greater power of the Holy Spirit that is alive and well and living in your heart. What a great gift!

Dr. Justin Kollmeyer is a thirty-nine-year resident of Fayette County. As a retired pastor, he is available for a Christ-centered, Biblical, traditional message or teaching. Contact him at [email protected]