The Spirit's Work Continues

The Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole church and keeps it with Jesus Christ......and abundantly forgives all sin....

Really? Wow!

We keep thinking and acting as though we can manage it by ourselves.

That is not true.

“We live in a box,” the biggest kid said.

“A what? asked Sister Mary Rose McGeady of Covenant House, a shelter for abused and runaway children in NYC.

“A box,” he said again.

Six children fleeing from abusive homes were living together in a cement box.

They showed it to the sister.

“It's dry and even has a chain link fence for protection, so don't worry about us,“ the oldest one said.

“Please come back to the shelter with me”, said the Sister, “where we have food, showers, real beds.”

“No, we take care of each other,” the dirty and bedraggled kids said.

Sister Mary Rose wanted to yell at them that they didn't have any idea how vulnerable they were, that the only future they had in that cement box was drugs, prostitution, and early death.

She could only make the offer of a different future, and pray that they would listen to the call of the Holy Spirit through her or someone else before further disaster struck.

Sister Mary Rose's frustration must be somewhat similar to the frustration felt by the prophet Jeremiah.

He can see clearly the religious and national disaster that is on the horizon, but the people and their leaders are not ready to listen.

“You're just a trouble-maker,” they fume, and at length they throw Jeremiah into a pit.

In spite of being ignored and abused, Jeremiah also has something else to say.

“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah....I will write it on their hearts.”

God is not giving up on these people, even though he would have every good reason to do so.

They have been willful, short-sighted, oblivious to danger, trusting in their own paltry strength,...but still they are the people whom God has chosen, and through whom he intends to work his will in the world.

This Reformation Day is a good occasion to recognize that the same situation applies to us in the church today.

A new covenant has been made with us.

Holy Baptism was a 100% free gift, in which a promise was extended to each person in water with God's Word.

What have we done with that?

So much of the time we act just like Jeremiah's hometown crowd: willful, short-sighted, oblivious to danger, trusting in our own paltry strength.

The financial portion of things which has been outlined by Mr. Huff is only one corner of things; the situation includes every part of our lives.

This isn't a new situation.

This week in the Wednesday Bible study we read an interesting sentence from Luther's introduction to the Small Catechism.

Luther explains his reason for writing the catechism this way: “Good Lord, what wretchedness I beheld. The common person has no knowledge of Christian doctrine, and many pastors are completely unable and unqualified to teach.”

It was said that common people didn't want to memorize the Lord's Prayer because it was too long!

They were easily convinced that they could buy forgiveness of sins with the purchase of a certificate.

They thought that the priest could force Jesus to appear when he said magic words at Holy Communion.

It was a sad state of affairs.

Could the Holy Spirit change it; and would the Spirit do that?

Yes...and yes!

Luther and others got to work and diligently taught the people, young and old, rich and poor.

Luther's Small and Large Catechisms were published in many editions, even during his lifetime.

People's thoughts and prayers were gradually shaped a different way.

Sometimes we get the idea that significant change only happens with the larger-than-life personalities, that it really doesn't have much to do with ordinary people like us.

That is of course not true.

I need to tell you about a telephone call I received three days ago.

Out of the blue, a lady picked up the phone and called me from Florida where she has lived for 56 years.

She said that she wanted to call and say Thank you to the pastors and people of St. Mark's, even though all those who were leaders in the 1930's are in the heavenly part of the church now.

“Thank you for providing example and training for me that has stood me in good stead all these years,” she said.

“All of those teachers, and pastors, and living examples gave me the gumption to say and to do what was needed;

--to be a charter member of a brand new church in Florida,

--to be bold enough to speak to acquaintances and invite them to be a part of that church.

--to sing and learn to be a leader as that parish developed.

Tell the people Thank you.”

That is the message from Marian Steiner of St. Petersburg, Florida to all of us here today.

Never underestimate what the Holy Spirit may be able to do through us.

We simply do not know what effect we may be having on those around us; the Holy Spirit can take what we think is nothing and use it in a wonderful way.

It may bear fruit quickly, or at a long interval.

The result may become clear to us; or as in the case of Mrs. Steiner, it may be decades or generations later until the result becomes known.

There will be a harvest when we stop saying “No, I or we can't do.......”

The Spirit can give us strength that we cannot imagine on our own.

I'm holding a little publication called the Voice of the Martyrs, which for the past 45 years has been letting the world know about those who have been empowered by the Spirit to endure the worst that the world can throw at them.

The cover photo in this issue is of a grieving father and mother with their younger son, and holding a photo of their 21 year-old son who was killed last March in Cairo.

He was at work in his home area doing one of the few jobs that Christians are permitted to have, garbage-picking, when a mob stormed the area to kill Christians.

21persons were murdered that afternoon.

And yet the Spirit stirred in his parents so that even in their profound grief they could say:

“We are not angry. We are proud. Our son died for Christ.”

The Spirit can give us strength that we cannot imagine on our own.

We may not be called upon to witness to our faith by means of our death,

but we certainly are called upon to witness to Christ Jesus by our lives, our words, actions, and use of resources.

Let this song be our prayer:

Blessed Spirit, still renewing

All who dwell upon the earth,

when the evil one assails us,

Help us show our heavenly birth.

Help us keep the faith forever;

Let not Satan, death, or shame

Draw is from you or deprive us

Of the honor of your Name.

When the foe would lure us hence,

Be, O God, our sure defense.

[LBW#478]

Let all the people boldly say. Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.