Christ Church Cathedral Fredericton, NB

A sermon by Dean Keith Joyce

²⁶ "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. ²⁷ You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

^4b "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. ⁵ But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. ⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; ¹¹ about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

¹² "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Pentecost - a day that breathes the very life of God.

Pentecost - the day the Comforter of Jesus' promise came and stayed.

Pentecost - the day God actively and permanently engaged his people in relationship with him.

Pentecost has all to do with God the Holy Spirit. Yet he, the Holy Spirit, can seem more mysterious, somehow unknown to us, someone hard to grasp because we cannot visualize him. And often the unknown brings uncertainty and for that reason we keep the unknown at arm's length. At the same time, we can long for an encounter with this the third person of the Trinity. We are both attracted and reserved, all at the same time, to get to know the Holy Spirit.

We mention the Spirit in our creeds, we say we believe in him, we read of him in the Bible, and today we hear Jesus speaking about him. That should be enough for us, shouldn't it? Well, no, because the very fact that the Church celebrates him with a major feast day, like Easter and Christmas, tells us that the Holy Spirit has an importance of the first order. In keeping with our tradition, we are to talk about him and think about him and get to know him, and not just mention him in our liturgies.

So today let's take a straightforward look at the wonderful and blessed Spirit of God. Our very faith, our very life in Christ is dependent on him and his work. He has only the best of intentions for us since one of his tasks is to fill our hearts with the love of God the Father.

If you remember nothing else from today's sermon, remember this - the Holy Spirit conveys to us the presence of Jesus Christ in whom we have our salvation. He makes Jesus real in our lives. He is to make vibrant in our experience the life and character of Jesus.

God gives the Holy Spirit to us. He is God's gift to us as followers of Jesus Christ. Would God give us bad gifts, gifts that harm us, scare us, or make us strange? No, God gives nothing but good gifts, for his good purposes, and for the good of his people.

Today's gospel reading tells us about this. When Jesus says, "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send" it's clear Jesus is sending the Holy Spirit, known here as the Advocate. Jesus, the ascended Lord, has not forgotten us and left us alone simply to exercise our brains and hearts in order to have faith in him and believe in him. No, instead he sends the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, to be our divine companion, to assure us of his presence.  Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to us "from the Father." He is "the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father." Both the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Father are involved in sending to us, in giving to us, the Holy Spirit. Not only is this necessary for our spiritual lives but it is also an expression of God's compassion and love. The Lord reaches out to us in order to have ongoing contact and relationship with us.

One could say it is not good to have all this talk about the Spirit because it detracts from Jesus, because, after all, isn't Jesus supposed to be the central figure in Christianity? But that's precisely the point! The Holy Spirit is the very one who keeps Jesus central. Listen again to Jesus' teaching on this very matter. He says, "He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you." The more we have of the Spirit, the more we have of Jesus our Lord. He also says that the Holy Spirit will "testify on my behalf." Does this not help explain why the disciples were not sad when Jesus physically left them and ascended to heaven?

I think it does.

We also get everything of the Father because the Holy Spirit gives us everything of Jesus. Jesus has said, "All that the Father has is mine." So we can't lose, can we?

Uncertain about the Holy Spirit?

Then think about Jesus and you will know what the Spirit is all about.

Not sure if you understand the Spirit?

Then think about God. To the degree that you have an accurate understanding of the Father and of Jesus the Son of God, then you will have a better understanding of the character and person of the Spirit.

God the Father is wonderful. Then so is the Holy Spirit. Jesus is merciful and kind. Then so is the Spirit. The Father is understanding and compassionate. So is the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus Christ we belong to the Father. Then we also belong to the Holy Spirit. God directs us and protects us, and then so does the Spirit. Everything he does is completely in keeping with the character and work of the Father and of the Son. The Holy Spirit will never do anything that is not found in the Father or in the Son. He is not something new and strange, as if he is radically different from Jesus or the Father. Not at all.  And anything that is claimed to be of the Spirit that is not consistent with the life, character and ministry of Jesus is not of the Spirit, it is not of God.

Yet this is a gift like none other because it is not something we take and do with as we please. No, the Holy Spirit is a gift with whom we have a relationship, for he is GOD the Holy Spirit. We speak to him, we listen to him, he loves us and cares for us, he convicts, he heals us, he guides and directs us. He is vitally interested in our lives, just like the Son and the Father. He affects our lives personally. For good reason he is called the Comforter. On the other hand that impact can be challenging when he convicts us of our sin in order for him to do his healing and cleansing work in our lives.

The Holy Spirit also brings power into our experience, a power not of our own making; power so that his fruit is borne in our lives. This power is also for his gifts to be shown amongst us. While all of this is for us to know and experience, it is not just meant for us to have 'spiritual goodies', as ends in themselves. The Holy Spirit forms us as disciples of Jesus, to give witness to his name. So the Spirit of God gives us power not just for the big and dramatic things but also for the regular things of our lives, the things of day-to-day living.

What are some of the things for which the Holy Spirit gives us power? Well, here are a few.

He gives us power to admit our shortcomings and failures; power to ask for forgiveness from those we've wronged; power to care for others in need; power to read good books and especially the Bible; the power to pray; the power to go through thick and thin with our fellow church members; the power to work at our relationships; the power to forgive.

It's the power to affirm others often, especially our children; the power to take responsibility for our actions; the power to say "no" to material things which require so much time and attention that they keep us from important things like family and friends; the power to say "I love you" to one's spouse and children; the power to endure criticism and dislike as a result of making decisions that are morally right; the power to temporarily not be liked by one's children because they have heard the word "no".

This also includes the power to listen; the power to take a difficult course of action that might be personally very costly; the power to choose good instead of evil and right instead of wrong; the power to follow Jesus wherever he leads us; the power to know the intimate presence of God in every circumstance; the power to let God use us for his purposes; the power to enable us to be vehicles of God's mercy, healing and love to others; the power to let his work through us be noticed by the world; the power to know God's using us is seen by him alone; the power to help us know deep within our souls that we are each a daughter or son of God, that we belong to him now and for all of eternity.

And that's why the Holy Spirit is not just some 'thing' of our creedal and doctrinal statements. He is someone to be close to, to interact with, and with whom we are engaged in the fullness of life. C.S. Lewis puts it well when he says, in Mere Christianity, "If you want to get warm, you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them. They are not a sort of prizes which God could, if He chose, just hand out to anyone. They are a great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very centre of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you: if you are not, you will remain dry."

Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us so that we have willing hearts and minds and bodies for him to work in us with power to carry out the will of heaven, in our lives and in this Cathedral. May we, today and every day, honour the Holy Spirit for all that he is, and for all that he does. Blessed be the name of the God the Holy Spirit.