Sermonette: The work of the Holy Spirit in and among

During my seminary studies, I took a full semester class on the Holy Spirit. Part of our assignment at the end of the semester was to write our own best definition of the Holy Spirit. Here's what I came up with: The Holy Spirit is a creative energy that is manifested in power and transforming love. As one of three persons of the Triune God, the Holy Spirit is more than energy, the Holy Spirit is personal, is relationship, is community.

When Jesus was about to leave his disciples and ascend to the Father, he told them, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This is the original call to the church, and today the Holy Spirit continues to call us into community with one another. It is true that we are each individually called to faith through the Gospel, but this call is not to isolation or individualism, but to community and the fellowship of the church. Martin Luther speaks of the church as “mother,” recognizing the gathering work of the Holy Spirit as the best nature of parenting. We are called by the Holy Spirit into this unique, one-of-a-kind space, place, and time, where we are parented, nurtured, challenged and comforted. This is the nature of the church.

In community, the Spirit’s presence and power is multiplied and together we are what we cannot be apart. Love, care, mercy, comfort, and hope are multiplied when we answer the Spirit’s call to a community gathered around word and sacrament. In The Spirit of Life, author and theologian Jurgen Moltmann articulates what he calls the "special thing" about being together in faith. He asserts that in community with one another, we actually experience the love of God, the redeeming quality of Christ, and the liberating quality of the Holy Spirit. In short, in Christian fellowship we have the assurance of the fellowship of God. I think Moltmann got it right.

The gathering of people into the community called church matters. In the fellowship of the church we experience God's love for us, and are assured of his presence. And there is no doubt that knowing God’s presence with us is a game changer, heart softener, and chain breaker, all of which sound an awful lot like the Spirit’s creative life-giving work! May you, this day and always experience, the Spirit’s work for and through you, and for and through the church. Amen.