Come, Holy Spirit, Shine Your Light Divine

Today we’re going to talk about the light of Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In our reading from Acts, we saw the outpouring of the Spirit on the disciples.

By no means is that the first time we hear of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. Already in the second verse, Genesis 2:2, He’s introduced to us, as on the first day of Creation, it says that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

From that point on the Holy Spirit is referred to many times.

In Job 33:4, He’s called the Breath of the Almighty. The Hebrew word for spirit is also the word for breath. The Holy Spirit breathes spiritual life into us at Baptism.

In Romans 8:2 the He’s called the Spirit of life. Through His gift of faith in the Triune God we have eternal life.

 In John 16:14, Jesus calls him the Paraclete… which can be translated Helper, Comforter, or Counselor, or Advocate. The Holy Spirit gives the comfort of the gospel to us.

In Matthew 10:20 He’s called the Spirit of the Father; and in Ephesians 4:5 the Spirit of the Son. That’s because He’s sent by the Father and the Son. Or as we say in the Nicene Creed, proceeds from the Father and the Son, and therefore is truly God, as are the Father and the Son.

In John 16:13 He’s called the Spirit of truth. Jesus says the Holy Spirit will guide us in all truth. He does this by giving God’s Word to us through the prophets and apostles.

2 Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is God-breathed, or inspired by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:21 says For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

We saw this in our Old Testament, as Eldad and Medad prophesied among the people, when the Holy Spirit came on them.

In Ephesians 1:17 He’s called the Spirit of wisdom.

In Romans 1:4 He’s called the Spirit of holiness.

And In 1 Peter 4:14 He’s called the Spirit of glory and of God. He has the full glory of God, as does the Father, and the Son.

It’s been said that the Holy Spirit is the shy member of the Trinity, in that He focuses His attention on Christ, and bears testimony to Him.

We see this in John 16:13-14. Jesus told his disciples, When the Spirit of truth comes… he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak… He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Jesus was assuring them that when they would go out into the world as missionaries, the Holy Spirit would give them the words to say, and those words would be true, and bear witness to Christ.

Later some of the apostles would write the New Testament, and the Holy Spirit would give them the words to write, so that again, their words would be true and bear witness to Christ.

The Holy Spirit is kind of like a flashlight in this way, in that he shines the light so we can see the way to go. But He doesn’t shine it on Himself.

If you’re in a dark place, and you have a flashlight to help you see, you don’t shine it into your face and look straight at the flashlight, you shine it on where you’re going, or on something you want to see.

The Holy Spirit shines the light on Christ, to reveal him as the Savior.

When the Holy Spirit came to the disciples on Pentecost, they were given the ability to speak in the languages of the diversity of people who were there.

So what were they saying in all those different languages? They were talking about Jesus, his death and resurrection, calling people to repent and be saved.

The Holy Spirit, who had come powerfully upon them, focused their words on Christ. But more than that, focused their hearts and minds on Christ.

In Baptism, the Holy Spirit comes to us with the power to believe in Christ and focus our lives on Him, to walk in the light!

In our closing hymn we’ll sing, Holy Spirit, Light Divine, shine upon this heart of mine; Chase the shades of night away; turn the darkness into day.

Through the Gospel the Holy Spirit enlightens us in a world that’s been darkened by sin and death.

1500 years ago, about 500 AD Europe fell into a millennium long, economic and cultural depression, called the Dark Ages. It was a difficult time for people: food was scarce, people were illiterate and superstitious, war was frequent, and disease was wide-spread, with little medical help.  

About 1350 AD, the Bubonic Plague, or Black Death swept through Europe. It’s been estimated that the population was reduced by anywhere from 30 - 60%.  

As the plague would spread from village to village, sometimes the majority of the people died there in just a matter weeks; sometimes entire villages were killed off and left deserted, with no one alive.

Imagine how dark and bleak the world must have seemed to them at that time.

Sometimes the world today can seem pretty dark. It’s 2017 and people are still being beheaded by terrorists. That’s unbelievable. But maybe not when you consider the nature of sin in us.

A couple weeks ago in Manchester, England, dozens of people, many of them children and teens, were killed by a terrorist bomber. Unsuspecting children.

That’s the darkness of sin at its worst.

The darkness of sin infects us all, the whole world. We all need the cleansing light of the Gospel.

Only the Spirit who is holy, the Spirit of holiness, as He's called, can cleanse our spirit inside. So Christ sends the Holy Spirit to us, to, as Psalm 51 says, Create in us a clean heart… and renew a right spirit within us.

In the Meaning of the 3^rd Article we say that the Holy Spirit has, called us by the Gospel and enlightened us by His gifts. It’s the light of the Gospel shining in us that overcomes the darkness in us and around us.

So don’t let the darkness get you down; the Light of the Gospel overcomes it, shines it out. On Pentecost the Holy Spirit was sent to shine the light of Christ on the world.

Back to the Dark Ages in Europe, on the Festival Day of Pentecost, in some Cathedrals, from the very high ceilings, a dove would be released, and would swoop down over the people, signifying the Holy Spirit coming to us.

And buckets of rose pedals were dropped down from the ceiling on the people, signifying the tongues of fire that came down over the apostles.

We’re not going to release any critters from the belfry today… and we don’t have any rose pedals to shower down on you, but there’s something better, the Holy Spirit himself, is being poured out on you through God’s Word and Sacraments, shining the light of the Gospel on you.

The Holy Spirit makes our days bright as we walk in this light.

One of the many good things about the month we’re in now, June, is the days last a long time. It’s nice to have the extra sunlight after going through a Minnesota winter, even a mild one.

In a sense it’s always day, always light, when the Holy Spirit is living and shining in you, and as our Gospel says, rivers of living water, the Gospel, is flowing from you.

As we leave this place of celebration today, it may seem in some ways, that we go out into a dark and daunting world; but we have a flashlight, so to speak, the Holy Spirit, shining the light of God’s Word for us to see the way, to follow Christ every day, all the way through life, through every trouble and trial, every temptation, every joy, and every blessing; this Light will lead you; it will lead you ↑home.

And on this journey ↑home, this Light will give you the peace that passes understanding, to guard your heart and your mind, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.