Loving God, when you received Jesus back into his heavenly home, you did not leave us orphaned, but poured out the Holy Spirit. We thank you this day for your gracious gift, even as we ask that you help us to continue to learn and to grow in your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Back when I was studying to become a pastor and serving as an intern in Elmira, Ontario, it dawned on me that people expected me to be able to pray. Whether at a meeting or in the hospital or in somebody’s home or at worship, I would be asked to pray. For somebody who’s young and inexperienced, that can be a pretty scary thing. How will I know what to say? How will I find the right words? And so I would pray, “Lord God, Holy Spirit, pray through me this day.” And the words would flow in such a way that I knew they came from the Holy Spirit and not from myself. That is the Holy Spirit at work.

Some of you may have heard or read about Nicky Cruz and David Wilkerson in The Cross and the Switchblade.

Nicky Cruz was a murderous, uncontrollable gang leader who had killed before and would likely kill again. Without overstating the truth, Cruz was the most unlikely prospect for Christian conversion. He was also one of the first gang members whom David Wilkerson, a rural minister, met on the rough streets of New York City.
Wilkerson left his comfortable surroundings and started a missionary outreach to gang members in New York during the late 1960s. He was idealistic, and sometimes his efforts to gain a foothold for Christ among the vicious gang culture failed miserably.
Time after time, Nicky rejected David’s pleas to seek God’s forgiveness – once threatening the thin, quaking minister with a knife to his throat. But David replied, “You can cut me to pieces, Nicky, but every piece will still cry out, ‘I love you.’”
David invited Nicky to attend a city-wide revival meeting he was organizing for gang members. Impressed by the man’s courage, Nicky told David he and his gang would be there.
Nicky did show up at the revival, and David invited him to collect the offering. Nicky and his gang did and then headed for the backstage exit, snickering at the gullible preacher.
But on the way out, Nicky felt a heavy, almost overpowering weight on his shoulders. He stopped. He couldn’t escape the fearful truth: The Jesus about whom David had spoken required something of him. Nicky and his gang returned to meet David on stage. At the end of the meeting, Nicky told David, “I’ve given my heart to God.”
Today Nicky works with tough, inner-city teenagers, helping them turn from drugs and violence and follow Christ. Jesus said one of the Holy Spirit’s main responsibilities is to prove the truth to people who are like Nicky Cruz used to be. (From The Youth Bible, NCV, p. 1087)

This is exactly what we heard in our gospel today from John 15 and 16, and when Nicky Cruz’s heart changed, that was the Holy Spirit at work!

The Holy Spirit changes hearts. The Holy Spirit speaks the truth. The Holy Spirit teaches us and speaks through us and walks alongside us and prays for us. The Holy Spirit testifies to all that God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

According to today’s gospel, there are a few basic truths that the Holy Spirit proves to us. First of all, the Spirit proves to us that sin is, indeed, a problem and that we need to turn away from sin and put our faith in Jesus Christ. Sin is everything that keeps us separated from God. Sin is love that is turned in on ourselves rather than directed outward toward God and others. Sin does harm to ourselves and to others and prevents us from having a life-giving relationship with God. And so, the Holy Spirit proves to us that life is found when we turn from our sin and believe in Jesus.

The Holy Spirit also proves to us that Jesus makes things right between us and God. People thought that when Jesus died on the cross, God was condemning him. They believed that there was a curse upon anybody who died by hanging on a tree (or a cross) (Gal. 3:13). However, when Jesus was raised from the dead and then ascended into heaven, it proved that he was not under God’s curse but was the Righteous One (cf. 1 Jn. 2:1) – the only one who had ever lived a sinless life. And so, the Holy Spirit proves to us that we, too, are made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Finally, the Holy Spirit proves to us that this world is not all there is. It can seem to us at times as though evil rules, and it might even seem as if God has abandoned us. However, the Spirit proves to us that the ruler of this world – the evil one – has already been condemned and defeated. Though it might seem as if evil is winning out, it will be defeated in the end. The power of God and the name of Jesus Christ are far more powerful, and the Holy Spirit proves to us that eternal life is present, even now. We may not see the fulness of the abundant life that God intends for us while we are in this world, but we do get little glimpses and tastes of that life through the Spirit, and we know that there is more to come!

These are the truths that sink into our souls when we walk with the Spirit and believe in Jesus Christ. These are the truths that change hearts and lives and that sustain us as we live “in the meantime.” We live looking forward to the day when we will meet Jesus Christ face to face and experience God’s kingdom in all its fulness. This might happen at the time when Jesus returns to this earth. This might happen at the time of our death. And for some people, this might even happen at some point in their lives when they are given a little glimpse of that future glory.

In the meantime, we live in this world, and the Holy Spirit has been sent to us in order to help us and to walk with us and to teach us and to witness through us to others. On that first Pentecost, which we heard about in Acts 2, the amazing thing was not so much that the disciples were suddenly speaking in other languages, but that the people standing there could actually understand them! What good is it if you hear somebody talking about Jesus but have no idea what they are saying?

No – once the Holy Spirit was in the picture, the disciples all wanted to tell others about Jesus, and they were able to communicate to each person in their own language. Even Peter, who had never preached before, stands up and addresses the crowd in order to tell them about Jesus. It didn’t matter that some people were scoffing and accusing the disciples of being drunk. It didn’t matter if people believed what Peter said or not. What mattered was that the Holy Spirit had filled their hearts with the love of God and had given them the ability to tell others about Jesus in a language that they could understand.

The Holy Spirit is still able to do that through you and through me. When we are open to God’s prompting and God’s leading, the Spirit will give us the words. After all, part of the Spirit’s job is to bear witness to Jesus. And so, when the opportunity presents itself – when others are ready to listen – when the time is right – the Holy Spirit can speak through any one of us, as long as we believe in Jesus Christ and are open to the Spirit’s leading.

Jesus no longer walks with us on this earth, but the Holy Spirit does. Thanks be to God for the gift of the One who prays for us, advocates for us, comforts us, is called alongside us, and helps us. Amen.

Day of Pentecost (B)      John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
May 31, 2009      Acts 2:1-21
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church      Romans 8:22-27
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2009 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved